Out of Sight, Centre of Mind
by Scorpio V1.2
Summary: This is my first ever fanfiction, Naruto lost his sight and it is up to Hinata to help him out. I got the idea from an episode of MASH where Hawkeye lost his sight. Please R&R, Naruhina.
1. Encounter

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic and i got the idea from an episode of MASH. This will be a Naruto X Hinata pairing. I'm not sure how long this story will be either, I may choose to write a sequal if i manage to finish this story.

I do not now, nor will I ever own Naruto

**Out of Sight, Center of Mind**

Chapter.1 - Encounter

During a class C mission, Team seven were assigned to locate and rescue a villager who had been captured by a band of criminals, because of team seven's growth in the past few months their jounin sensei, Kakashi decided to let Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura handle it on their own, Naruto suspected that he did this just to get some alone time with his precious books. After about a week, Sakura managed to piece together where the villager was being held and with a rather simple "Grab 'n Run" strategy they rescued the villiger and headed back to Konoha, but on the way back they bumped into the criminals they originaly beat, but this time however, the group had hired a couple of ninja class mercinarys.(Like the ones Gatoh had)

"Dobe, you better try to do everything yourself again" Sasuke growled to Naruto

"Shut up Sasuke, I could take that dimwit duo by myself" Naruto responded in his _'Dont underestimate me voice' _

Meanwhile Sakura just sighs, while inner Sakura is Screaming "Cant you two get along for just one minute"

All of a sudden the _Dimwit Duo_ burst out laughing at Naruto, "You got beaten by these punks, Man you guys are weak" the first mercinary says back to the group that hired them. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?" Screamed Naruto "I'M UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE ONE WHO WILL BECOME THE GREATEST HOKAGE EVER" In a blind rage Naruto drew his kunai and charged at the two ninjas, but one of the ninjas merely raised his fist so it was horizontal and Naruto ran face first into it, completely leveling him. While the two ninja's were questioning the standards of ninjas Konoha were training, Sasuke used the time to throw a barrage of shuriken as well as charging at the ninjas with his own kunai, but a little less blindedly than Naruto. Unfortunaltly these ninjas were better than Sasuke first thought, he assumed that since they didn't have forehead protecters, they weren't trained as real ninjas, but faster than Sasuke could blink they both turned around and drew katana's sheathed to their backs, and deflected every last one of the shuriken, forcing Sasuke to jump back and re-evaluate his opponants, in that short time Naruto regained his breath and slapped an exploding tag to one of them, he delebratly placed it on an armor plate he had on his back so he would just injure him but not kill him, the tag exploded causing him to fly into a tree while the other jumped out the way at the last second, with one ninja down and the other a bit surprised at the explosion, Sasuke realised that it would take more than hand-to-hand combat skill's to take down the last ninja, so Sasuke ran through the required hand seals, "Katon: Ryukka no jutsu" Said Sasuke while maintaining his unique level of calm

As the dragon of fire errupted from Sasuke, the second ninja knew that it was over. the flames just glanced his side knocking him unconsious

while Naruto turned to look at what just happened the flames were in harms distance of Naruto's face. Outwardly Naruto screamed and inwardly he cursed Sasuke for both hurting him and beating the second ninja. Naruto then fell backward and passed out.

The original group of criminals picked their moment and ran like the wind, while Sasuke and Sakura tended to Naruto.

Sakura cleaned up the burn and put a field dressing on it, While Sasuke put together a stretcher together to carry Naruto back to Konoha.

Sakura knew she should scold Sasuke for being so careless but she couldn't bring herself to raise her voice to her love so she just kept her eye on Naruto's injury, while the rescued villager helped Sasuke carry Naruto's stretcher. Although Sasuke looked calm on the outside he was feeling a slight bit remorcfull for hitting Naruto with such a high class fire techniqe especially on his face, he knew what kind of damage he may have caused to his team mate, He only hoped that Tsunade could heal him.


	2. Welcome Home

Author's Note: This is the second chapter of Out of Sight, Center of Mind. I will try to make this chapter longer than the first but please try to remember that this is my first fanfic, i'm sort of making this up as I go. I'm gratefull for the reveiws and will welcome suggestions on how this story could continue.

**Out of Sight, Center of Mind**

Chapter. 2 - Welcome Home

Sakura and Sasuke and their rescuee had been travelling for almost six hours straight only stopping for five or ten minutes at a time to check on Naruto, who apparantly still hadn't woken up although he did seem to twitch on the make-shift stretcher every so often. Soon enough their villige gates came into view, since the aftermath of the Chuunin exam, the gates had remained shut, where as before the gates would remain open, only opening to let teams in and out. At a simple hand signal from Sasuke to the sentries on duty the gates swung open. As they walked into the Konoha they only saw a few people doing their daily errands. A part of Sasuke expected a swarm of demented, screaming girls to materialise in front of him to greet him but the another part of him reminded him that almost no one chased after him since his betrayal to the leaf, in fact they treated him similary to how they treated Naruto, although some still looked at him as a heroic surviver of the Uchiha clan, but he still felt the pain from those who didn't, now the only girl who chased him now was his teamate, Haruno Sakura, not even her eternil rival Ino chased after him anymore. Sasuke knew that this pain wasn't as bad as Naruto's but ever since he felt this pain, he formed a new respect for Naruto, for he lived his entire life with an even greater pain and he still managed to keep a positive attitude.

After Sasuke and Sakura had dropped Naruto of in the hospital, Sasuke and the rescued villiger left for the hokage office to deliver the mission report. While Sakura stayed in the hospital waiting room awaiting news on Naruto, She waited for two hours before she decided to go look for Naruto, she walked around for a bit before she saw a flash of blond hair through an open door, it looked like Naruto was lying motionless on a hospital bed, he was probably still asleep since he never stopped moving when he was awake. On his face there was now a proper bandage which stopped just above his mouth and covered both his cheeks leaving only his mouth and chin exposed. As Sakura sat down she let out a huge sigh because it was the first time she sat down all day.

"...Sa...Sakura-chan?"

At the mention of her own name Sakura screamed, and when she realised that it had been Naruto who said her name, she was tempted to hit him for scaring her like that.

"How did you know it was me?" questioned Sakura

"Well, your the only girl who would come to visit me, besides, your the only one I know that sighs like an old door swinging closed"

Sakura's left eyebrow twitched quite violently at this "...old?...OLD!?"

Tsunade, Konoha's current Hokage was rushing down the corridor of the hospital in search of Naruto, once Sasuke had told her what had happened she was fully awake and out the door to the hospital. As she was checking each foom for her favourite loudmouth, she walked in to one room to be greeted by quite a sight, Sakura was pounding Naruto in the stomache. Tsunade forced a cough to signify her presence, at this Sakura turned around

"Hello Hokage-sama" greeted Sakura, her anger forgotten

"Huh, wah...OBAA-CHAN!" as Naruto realised that Tsunade was there

Fortunatly for Naruto, Tsunade decided that he had been beaten enough so let it by.

"Naruto i'm here to take a look at your injury, fire techniqes can be very damaging, especially to the face. Sakura I would like you to leave us, this could take a while, maybe you should go home"

"Your right, Hokage-sama, please do your best with Naruto"

Sakura left the hospital room and Tsunade proceded to remove the bandages that were covering Naruto's face. She activated an analysing jutsu and proceded to examine Naruto's face, a worried look came across her face as she noticed somthing.

"Naruto, please open your eyes"

With a gasp of pain he forced his eyes open, then he blinked over and over, Tsunade knew exactly what was wrong,

"Obaa-chan, I...I cant see"

As she was making her way through the villige to get home Sakura saw Hyugga Hinata, another kunoichi who she had become close friends with, Hinata looked a bit upset, to a passer by Hinata always looked upset by the way she kept her head down, but to a close friend like Sakura it was clear that somthing was troubling Hinata. Sakura walked over to Hinata

"Hello Hinata-chan" Greeted Sakura, supressing her concerns for Naruto

"Oh, Hello Sakura-chan" Responded Hinata "Did your mission go well?" Clearly she was trying to forget about what ever problem she had

"Well..." Sakura knew that she should tread lightly here, she knew all to well for her _fondness_ for Naruto, looking back on it she must of been a fool not to realise it, it wasn't until Hinata admited it to Ino and herself while they were having lunch together.

"...Well" Hinata echoed and Sakura cursed herself for letting her mind wander away like that

"Well...We rescued the villiger but...there was an accident involving...Naruto" at the mention of his name Hinata looked right into Sakura's eyes with a very worried expression

"A-Accident?" Hinata repeated, she had obviously forgotten her previous worries and was deeply concerned about Naruto.

"Yes, an accident, you see, We...Sasuke and Naruto were fighting a pair of ninjas, as the fight ended, Sasuke-kun used one of his fire attacks and Naruto caught the edge of the attack on his face." As Sakura finished talking Hinata instantly turned around and started toward the hospital.

"Dont worry Hinata-chan, Tsunade-sama is with Naruto she'll help him" Sakura called after her knowing that it would be foolish to try and stop her. Sakura then decended back into her own thoughts about Sasuke, their next mission...whatever it could be, Naruto's condition and Hinata's infatuation with Naruto

"I wonder if they'll ever get together?" Questioned Inner Sakura "Oh well, whatever happens, happens"

As Hinata thought about what happened to Naruto she broke into a run, She started feeling very nervous about how much damage had been done, she shunned all negative thoughts and continued to run, It wasn't long before she reached the hospital. Hinata burst through the doors of the hospital and ran straight to the front desk

"Which room is Uzumaki Naruto in?" asked Hinata, completly ignoring the que of people behind her. The receptionest could see the look of deep concern in Hinata's eyes and started looking through a large ring-binder folder.

"He is in room twenty seven, go down that coridor and turn left before the stairs" The receptionest pointed to the corridor behind her

"Thank you" Hinata called to her as she ran down the corridor.

Tsunade canceled the healing techniqe she was using on Naruto but she still wore the same expresion of worry and concern.

"Naruto... I've cleared up the burns but there is some damage to the optic nerves...the nerves are just to small to heal with a jutsu, I've treated it but thats all I can do, there's a chance that your eyes will heal themselves given time, but i'm afraid that you will be without your sight for a while. We'll leave your eyes for a week by that time we wil be able to determine how extensive the damage is. but if you're unable to see even blurred images by then, you will probably never have your sight back."

"How big a chance is there that my eyes will heal?" Asked Naruto, his voice lost the energy it once held. Tsunade was hoping he wouldn't ask this

"I wont lie to you Naruto, its small...but you have to understand, you are very lucky, if this had happened to somone else, somone who didn't have kyubi's healing powers then there would be no doubt that they would never see again." Tsunade was desparate to raise Naruto's spirits but she feared that she may have made him feel even worse

"I understand, But do I have to stay in here for the whole week?" Asked Naruto, It was hard to tell if he was more upset about his sight or the prospect of staying in these uncomfortable hospital beds all week.

"Oh no, not all week, you will have to spend the night here, but you will be allowed to leave in the morning as long as you have somone to accompany you."

"Thank god for that! I'd die of boredom if i'd stay for a week" Naruto almost sounded happy but it was hard to forget that he couldn't see.

The door to Naruto's room opened and in came Hinata, she was red in the face, Tsunade wondered if it was because she had been running or because of the presence of Naruto.

"Hello Hinata, what brings you here?" Tsunade asked, inwardly she was grinning from ear to ear because she knew precisely why she was here. Naruto's head rose up

"Hinata?" Naruto was shocked that anyone would come to see him, Even Sasuke hadn't dropped in on him, even though he was the reason he was in hospital, this thought struck him very hard, Because of Sasuke he may never see again! He put that thought at the back of his mind for now and turned his attention to the new arrival

"Y-Yes Naruto-kun" In Hinata's haste to reach the hospital she never thought about what to say to Naruto when she got there

"How are you feeling Naruto-kun?" Hinata figured that as a good start

"I _feel_ fine, but I'm going to have to give my eyes a rest for a while" Naruto tried to sound like his normal self but didn't do too well

"Oh, is it serious?" Hinata was starting to worry from the tone in his voice, Hinata could tell that somthing was wrong

"It could be, but only time will tell" Tsunade interupted Hinata jumped at the sound of her voice "Naruto I need to put a bandage over your eyes to ensure no light can reach the nerves, please sit up and keep your eyes comfortably closed, they wont be open for a week" said Tsunade as she reached into a medical bag for the bandages, Naruto did as he was told, he sat up on the bed and kept his eyes closed.

"This shouldn't take to long, Hinata, why dont you take a seat you look very nervous" Said Tsunade while she was sorting out the bandages

"Yes Hokage-sama" Hinata sat in one of the chairs that were lined along the wall and set it beside Naruto's bed, she sat down and watched as Tsunade placed the bandages on Naruto

Tsunade cut out two individual patches of the cotton bandage and placed them over his eyes, securing them in place with some medical tape, then she proceded to wrap a long bandage around his head covering his eyes.

"Okay I'm done, Naruto is that too tight for you?" Tsunade said as she was adjusting the bandage.

"Its fine thanks Obaachan" As Tsunade struggled to contain herself Naruto lay back down on the bed

"All right, I've spent enough time here, Hinata could you possibly be here tomorrow morning? Naruto is going to be out of the hospital and he needs somone to help him around the village" Tsunade asked, She silently applauded herself for asking her to, She killed two birds with one stone, One: She gave Hinata a chance to be close to Naruto, with any luck, spending time with Hinata may balance Naruto out, who knows, they may even become Konoha's newest couple. and Two: She wont have to look all over Konoha to find Sakura or somone else to do it, she needed to get back to her office for some sleep.

"Naruto, I'll be here in the morning before you two leave for the day. The nurse will be in soon with somthing to eat" Tsunade told him as she was leaving

"Ramen!?" Naruto asked excitidly

"NARUTO!, this is a hospital not ichiraku" Tsunade said

Tsunade walked out the room so it was just Naruto and Hinata left

"Hinata?" Naruto said, turning his head to Hinata's general direction.

"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata was starting to lose her shyness around Naruto, She didn't know why. Before, the very mention of his name would send her heart racing but now she felt at peace

"Thank you for coming to see me, Not even Sasuke has come to say hello, your a good person Hinata" Naruto was feeling extremely thankfull for somone coming to see him, inside he was feeling scarred and alone but he did his best to hide it.

"Your welcome, Naruto-kun. Sakura-chan told me what had happened so I came to see if you were alright" Hinata smiled to herself for not stuttering

"Your sounding a lot more confident than you used to, my blind fold must be having a positive effect already" Hinata even let a small giggle escape at that, this made Naruto especially happy, He loved making people laugh, he alway has, even when those same people made him feel like dying. The nurse came in carrying a tray, it had some food on it but nothing more than a snack.

the nurse placed it over Naruto's lap

"Here is your food Naruto-san" said the nurse. Naruto jumped slightly from the unexpected contact

"Thank you" said Naruto but the nurse said nothing, but Naruto was used to this, Hinata however wasn't

"She was very rude to you, Naruto-kun" Hinata was shocked that a nurse of all people would be so cold toward a blind patiant

"Yeah well, i'm kinda used to it by now" Naruto was feeling around the tray on his lap trying to find the food "I cant tell where the tray ends and the food begins, they both have the same rough texture"

Hinata noticed what was on the plate, it looked like a brick of some kind of meat, it was bad even by hospital standards

"Hinata, could you please help me i'm not sure what i'm meant to eat" Naruto realised that this was just the begining, this wont be the only time he will need help, usually he wouldn't trust someone to help him but Hinata was someone he trusted, even if he rarely talked to her, Hinata turned red in the face when he asked for her help but she did as she was asked. She reached out her hand and put it on Naruto's wrist, both he and Hinata jumped at the contact, Naruto wasn't expecting it but he realised that he would have to get used to it and Hinata because she came into physical contact with Naruto, She guided his hand on the tray and placed it on the meat, she then let go

"Thanks Hinata, I'd probably take a bite out of the tray if I didn't have any help" Naruto said before he took a bite out of the brick, he chewed once before he realised the foul taste and dropped the brick, Naruto realised that it would be rude to spit out the _'food'_ in front of Hinata so he did his best to ask for a napkin, Somehow she understood but there wasn't a napkin on the tray so she brought one out of her pocket and put it into Naruto's hands. He put over his mouth and pushed out the food into it, trying to sound as least disgusting as possible. The napkin smelt very...girly, He realised that Hinata must of given him one of her own.

"Thanks again, Hinata" Naruto now thought that having somone to help him wasn't too bad, Hinata smiled silently to herself

"I dont suppose that there was a glass of water on the tray, I cant stand the taste of whatever that stuff was meant to be" Naruto said as he crushed the napkin into a ball and dropped it on the tray

"Sorry, Naruto-kun there is none"

"They probably did this on purpose" Naruto said "Never mind I probably still have some in my jacket, Hinata, could you maybe find my jacket and search the pockets for a bottle, please"

"Ofcourse Naruto-kun" She was feeling glad to help, Hinata got up and walked over to the wardrobe, she saw Naruto's trademark orange cloathing, Hinata often questioned herself why anyone would wear so much orange, as she searched through the pockets, she could tell the cloathes smelled like Naruto , she found the small bottle of water in an inside pocket of his jacket

"I've found it Naruto-kun" she said as she took away the tray and placed the bottle in Naruto's hand, she put the tray down on a desk next to the bed

"Thanks" Naruto chuckled out, he was saying thanks a lot, he unscrewed the cap and downed the whole lot "That was good!" Naruto felt better after drinking the water, he then let out a powerfull yawn and realised that he was tired, he had been awake since they had arrived back at konoha, he just decided to let himself be carried instead of being made to walk by Sasuke and Sakura if they found out that he was awake.

"I see that your tired Naruto-kun I'll go home and let you sleep"

"Okay then, Goodnight Hinata, see you tomorrow"

"Sweet dreams Naruto-kun" Said Hinata as she walked out the door, when the door shut behind her, she realised somthing, she turned around and walked back into Naruto's room

"Welcome home Naruto-kun" after hearing this a huge smile came across Naruto's face

"Thank you Hinata" Hinata turned around and walked out the room and proceded up the corridor with a noticable spring in her step.

Authors Note: What do you think? its longer than the first chapter and I got the first interaction of Naruto and Hinata in, you may notice that Hinata does a lot less stuttering in this fic but that is because I think that Hinata has confidence problems when people look her in the eye, but Naruto cant look her in the eye so she is more confident, in the following chapters she will do a bit more stuttering ( I think, remember, i'm making this up as i go, i have almost no plan) Please Reveiw and if you can give me a suggestion for the story i will take it into consideration. Thank you!


	3. A little Help Can Go a Long Way

Authors note: Thank you to all the reveiwers, I am very gratefull, along with this chapter I've corrected the mistakes I made in the previous chapter, after re-reading it on I noticed a few errors. I cant believe that I'm on the third chapter already, I just hope I'm not rushing this. I will try to keep this story interesting, please read and tell me what you think, I read all my reveiws,

**TimeShifter16 - **I say MASH, as in the medical comedy set during the Korean war

Okay here it is, chapter three of Out of Sight, Center of Mind

**Out of Sight, Center of Mind**

Chapter three - A Little Help Can Go a Long Way

Naruto awoke from a strange dream drenched in a cold sweat, he dreamt of walking sightless around a room filled with people who were knocking into him and talking loudly, they were scarring him because he was unsure of where he was and he was unprepared for all the contact he felt, it ended when he was pushed away and he started to fall down a hole. When Naruto woke up, he sat straight up in the bed and was reminded that he couldn't see

"H-Hello?" Naruto wasn't sure if there was anyone around, he didn't even know what time it was, but from the singing of birds and sounds of movment outside his room he figured that it must be morning. All of a sudden he heard a dull thud, he sensed somone had entered the room, the sound must of been the door being pushed open.

"Naruto-san, Tsunade-sama will be in, in a few minutes, Hyugga Hinata said that she will be here at about ten o'clock, thats in half an hour" The nurse sounded like everyone else, she had the same cold tone in her voice

"Thank you. Could you please open a window, i'm feeling a bit overheated" Naruto said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. the nurse gave no reply

"Excuse me" still no reply "EXCUSE ME!" Naruto was feeling very scared now

"Naruto for once in your life please try not to shout" Tsunade's voice broke the silence, Naruto was very relieaved that he wasn't alone

"These nurses are really mean, you would think that they would pay me some sympathy" Naruto said

"Just ignore them Naruto, Hatred is a hard thing to get over" Tsunade tried to give Naruto a reason as to why they treated him so badly

"Riiiiight, now I feel better" Naruto was said sarcasticly

"Anyway Naruto, There are a few rules you must follow when your out of here, You musn't remove the bandages no matter what, You will be allowed to sleep in your own home for the week but if somthing feels wrong then you have to come back to the hospital, and you'll have to come to my office later tonight for me to check your bandages but after that, the week is yours. And remember, Hinata is there to help you, dont try anything complex on your own, ask Hinata for help, and remember, SHE is in charge, she is to help you but if she thinks that somthing is wrong she will bring you here, do not argue with her" Tsunade warned him, I'm sure she'll be only too happy to help, she said inside her head.

"Do I have to get her help for _Everything_?" Naruto said, mentally raising an eyebrow

"What do you mea...NO! not everything, I expect you to handle your own 'private' matters Naruto!" Tsunade was shaking her head "And Stay out of trouble!" Tsunade warned him

Hinata woke up feeling very refreshed, she was going to spend the whole day with Naruto and she could speak normally with him, but then another realisation hit her, other people are bound to see them together, what if they get the wrong idea,

"it would be so embarrasing if Sakura-chan or Ino-chan see us, What if they say somthing?" Hinata said to herself, she let out a small yawn and rubbed her eyes, she looked over at the clock on her bedside table and gasped,

"Twenty-to-ten! I've overslept, I was meant to get up early to explain to Kurenai-sensei about Naruto-kun, I'll have to do that later, I need to get to the hospital!" Hinata said as she rushed to get dressed. In a blurred haste, Hinata got changed. She was out her room in a few minutes, she was out of the Hyugga estate a couple of minutes later but not before almost knocking her cousin Neji off his feet.

"Foolish girl" Muttered Neji, He had actually warmed up to Hinata since the chuunin exams, ever since he found out the truth of his father, since then Neji had apologised to Hinata for hurting her so badly during their fight in the prelims, Neji watched her run out of the gates,

"She must be in a hurry, Hinata-sama didn't even stop to apologise to me." Said Neji to no one in particular

Hinata was starting to wonder if she will always be running to the hospital at some point during the week. Soon enough she was at the hospital again, she went straight to the front desk again, the same receptionest was sitting at the desk, this time there was no que of people

"I'm here to see Uzumaki Naruto again" Hinata told the receptionest, she was feeling a lot less worried than before.

"He's right where you left him, you just need to sign in this time" she said as she handed a pen to Hinata and pointed to a clipboard on the desk. Hinata signed her name and left down the corridor without another word. She followed the same path she took the night before and found Naruto's room, number twenty-seven. She knocked on the door this time instead of bursting in like last night,

"Come in" She heard Naruto's voice say, This brought a slight blush to Hinata's cheeks as she pushed open the door, and just like last night Tsunade was sitting down on the opposite side of Naruto and Naruto was lying back in bed, only this time he wore a smile

"Good morning Naruto-kun, how are you feeling?" Hinata asked, although she was blushing, she didn't feel very nervous around Naruto

"I'm feeling okay now, but waking up without being able to see can be scary" Naruto said while maintaining his smile, Tsunade looked at Naruto slightly surprised,

_"it looks like Naruto is starting to open up around Hinata, before, he would never admit to being scared" _Tsunade thought to herself, then she remembered somthing,

"Naruto, do feel any pain in your eyes?" Tsunade asked

"Pain? No I feel fine" Naruto said still smiling

"...No Naruto, pain is a good sign, it means that the nerves are healing, and if you dont feel any pain well..." Tsunade trailed off, Naruto's smile slowly dissapeared as he realised what she was saying

"If you do feel pain, nothing is wrong with you so don't worry about it, but try to see me when you do feel somthing" Tsunade told him,

"And i'm afraid that even if you do feel pain, it isn't a sure sign that you will see again, I'm sorry"

"Naruto, Hinata and I will be outside while you get dressed, you'll find your cloathes in that wardrobe" Tsunade pointed to a wardrobe next to the bed still feeling bad about Naruto

"YOUR FUNNY!" Naruto shouted, Tsunade realised what she had done and smacked her forehead, how stupid could she be for pointing out somthing to a blind person

"Naruto, I'm sorry, I forgot" Tsunade felt like an idiot

"Its okay, as long as you weren't making fun of me" Naruto said his smile begining to return.

"Hinata, could you please get Naruto's cloaths" Tsunade asked Hinata, which intensified Hinata's blush. She opened the wardrobe and took Naruto's black T-shirt, orange jacket and pants off the hangers and put them on Naruto's bed.

"Just call when your done, Naruto" Tsunade said as she and Hinata walked out the door.

Tsunade took the time to explain to Hinata about what she had to do to help Naruto

"Hinata, you will have to help Naruto with a lot of things so you'll have to be with him most of the time, I've already informed Kurenai about this, so she has given you time off, During that time you are to help Naruto get around the villige, and just help him with anything he may have trouble with. I've explained this to him and told him that you will be in charge, he will listen to you, so if somthing seems wrong you will have to bring him back here or to my office, You and Naruto should decide a time in the morning when you'll come to meet him, It would be best if you get a key to Naruto's appartment as well, and at night don't leave his house untill he is in bed, do you understand?" Tsunade asked, Hinata Nodded

"Almost, Do I have to help him with _everything_?" Asked Hinata, her face looking like a ripe tomato, Tsunade almost laughed at this, these two were more alike than she thought

"No, no not everything, Naruto will need some private time, but apart from that he will probably need your help with most things" Tsunade told her. A large crash was heard coming from inside Naruto's room. Taking a quick look inside the room Tsunade shook her head muttering to herself, then she opened the door very slightly again

"Naruto, One leg per trouser-leg" Tsunade said to Naruto. Naruto couldn't believe how hard it was to get dressed without his eyes

"If you want, I'll send in Hinata to help you" Tsunade said mockingly, at that both Hinata and Naruto blushed fiercly

"I-I'll m-manage" Naruto said shakily, Tsunade used all of her will power to keep from howling with laughter. When she had calmed down she turned to Hinata

"Remember Hinata, Keep him out of trouble" Tsunade told her, Hinata simply nodded

Naruto had a hard time, but in the end he managed to get all of his cloathes on, he managed to find his forehead protecter in his trouser pocket, he decided to tie it on over his bandage, he couldn't see himself but he thought that he looked cool. He applauded himself for thinking to cover his bandage with his headband, it would keep his bandage clean and the metal plate would protect his eyes from any impact.

"You can come back in now, i'm ready" Naruto called out to the general direction of the door. He heard the door open

"Well done Naruto, you can dress by yourself, at least thats somthing that Hinata wont have to help you with" Tsunade said, Naruto could feel his cheeks heating up again

"Are you ready to leave, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, eager to get away from the mocking Tsunade

"Yes, I cant wait to get out of here" Naruto said, he couldn't wait to get some ramen, he hadn't had any in over a week, since before the mission

"Okay then, come on" Tsunade said as she walked out the door

"Hinata, could you please give me your arm" Naruto said as he reached out his hand. Hinata approached Naruto and placed his hand just above her right elbow. Hinata's heart started to speed and her face began to heat up as she felt his hand grasp her arm. Hinata started to move forward slowly to allow Naruto to get used to the movement, they walked through the door and up the corridor, side by side, every so often Hinata had to guide Naruto away from a chair which he would of fallen over, or out the way of an oncoming patiant. They reached the front desk where Tsunade was waiting patiantly for them, Hinata held her left hand out to stop Naruto

"Okay kids, have fun" Tsunade said smiling to Hinata

_"How many people know?" _Hinata thought to herself as she put her head down to hide the blush

"Come on Hinata, lets go" Naruto said cheerily, Hinata started to move forward towards the main doors guiding Naruto as she did. They stepped outside and Naruto took a deep breath of fresh air

"I hate the smell of a hospital" Naruto said as they were walking away from the hospital

"Where would you like to go Naruto-kun?" Hinata realised that they were walking but didn't have anywhere to go

"You have to ask? To Ichiraku ramen, please Hinata" Naruto said turning his head toward Hinata

"I should of known" Giggled Hinata

"You must be hungry as well Hinata, I mean, I'm not sure exactly what time it is but it must be near enough to lunch time, right" It was only about half past eleven but neither Hinata or Naruto have had anything for breakfast, so they were feeling quite hungry

"Yes Naruto-kun I haven't had anything to eat today" Hinata smiled, she often thought about having lunch with Naruto, although it wasn't a date, It was close enough.

Hinata guided Naruto through the streets of Konoha to get to the ramen stand as Naruto was telling her about the missions that he had completed in the past and Hinata was listening intently, occasionly turning left or right until they reached the Ichiraku.

"We're here Naruto-kun" Hinata said to Naruto as he was explaining how he rescued the villiger in their last mission, Hinata guided Naruto inside and sat him down on a stool before sitting herself down next to him, The owner of the ramen stand turned around and welcomed both Hinata and Naruto

"H-Hello" Hinata said, feeling her nervousness returning, Naruto smiled and nodded to him

"Can I have a bowl of miso ramen and...Hinata what would you like?" Naruto asked. Realising that this man was friendly, Hinata forced herself not to stutter

"M-may I have a bowl of sweet and sour pork ramen please" Hinata asked politely

"Coming right up" the owner said friendily "Naruto, What happened to your eyes" he asked as he was preparing the bowls

"An accident, One of my teamates hit me with a fire jutsu" Naruto replied grimly, in the past half hour he had all but forgotten the fact that he may never see again

"It'll be okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata said quietly to Naruto trying to reassure him, she could sense that he was feeling sad, Naruto turned and gave Hinata a kind smile, Naruto was feeling better and proceded to explain in intricate detail about his first C-rank turned A-rank mission. He had just got to the part where Kakashi defeated the demon brothers when the owner of the stand placed the bowls of ramen in front of Naruto and Hinata, although Naruto didn't notice

"Naruto-kun, our ramen is here" Hinata interupted Naruto

"Is it? I didn't notice" Naruto chuckled, he carefully looked for the bowl with his hands, once he found it he instinctivly reached for a pair of chopsticks, but couldn't find them

"Somone moved the chopstick cup since last time I was here" Naruto said while carefully sweeping his hand along the counter looking for it

"No Naruto-kun, it was just out of your reach...Here!" Hinata said as she put the chopsticks in Naruto's hand, She jumped slightly from the contact but not as much as before, Naruto didn't seem to notice

"Oh was it, i'm an idiot, thanks Hinata" Naruto smiled as he accepted the chopsticks from Hinata, and broke them apart, very carefully he lowered them down into the bowl, he applied pressure to them and brought them up to his mouth but he didn't get any noodles, over and over he tried but couldn't get any more than a few noodles at a time, Hinata who was slurping up her noodles at a steady pace, noticed the trouble Naruto was having, when a idea popped into her head

"Naruto-kun, umm, would you like some help, its just that, y-your ramen will get cold before your finished it" Hinata said

"Help? Oh, umm you dont have to, I'll manage" Naruto said, for some reason he was blushing at this

"Naruto-kun, I'm here to help you, I don't mind" Hinata said while still blushing.

"Okay, thanks, I do have to eat after all" Naruto reasoned. Hinata took the chopsticks from Naruto's hand and lowered them into the bowl, successfully bringing out some ramen noodles, with a gulp she raised the end of the noodles to Naruto's mouth, he jumped slightly but opened his mouth and let the chopstcks in, as Naruto slurped up the noodles Hinata giggled softly, she used the chopsticks to help the long strands of noodles to his mouth. This continued for a while with Naruto giving away satisfied sighs as he swallowed each strand of noodles. Hinata was in the middle of raising another strand of noodles when suddenly...

"Ohhhh! And what do we have here?" a very sweet voice sounded behind them, Hinata dropped the chopsticks on the ground and Naruto choked on the Noodles he was in the middle of swallowing

"Hello Sakura-chan, Ino-chan" Hinata greeted her two best friends nervously, she prayed that they wouldn't say anything that might give away to Naruto that she _liked_ him

"Hello Hinata-chan" Sakura and Ino said in unison, still grinning horribly.

_"have you told him yet" _Ino mouthed silently to Hinata

"No" She mouthed back, Sakura and Ino looked at each other and smiled

"_They were planning somthing" _Thought Hinata

"Hello Naruto" said Ino and Sakura sweetly

Naruto slowly turned around to face the two new arrivals,

"Hello Sakura-chan, Ino" said Naruto smiling, Sakura and Ino both saw his forehead protecter over his eyes and were confused

"Naruto why do you have your head band covering your eyes" Asked Sakura, not sure what to think

"Yeah, Can't you see or somthing? Ino asked jokingly

"Exactly! I cant see" Naruto said calmly

"What!? why not?" Ino asked completly puzzled, Sakura had an idea of why but didn't say anything

"Well, during are last mission we got into a fight with some ninja's..."

"And they damaged your eyes?" Ino interupted

"No, Sasuke did, he accidently hit me with one of his fire techniqes, Tsunade healed the burns but there is some nerve damage, there is a chance that I will recover but the odds are that I'll never see again" Naruto explained grimly

"Oh, we're sorry about that Naruto, we didn't know" Ino said apologeticaly, Naruto forced a smile on his face

"Thats alright, Come on, join us for some Ramen" Naruto said, his voice begining to gain some of its energy

"Thanks Naruto" Sakura said as she and Ino sat down

"Welcome!" The owner said to Ino and Sakura "What will it be"

"A bowl of shrimp ramen please" requested Sakura

"a bowl of vegitable ramen for me please" Ino ordered. Naruto turned back around on his stool, to finish his ramen

"Hinata, where are my chopsticks" Naruto asked as he was feeling around for them

"I-I dropped them on the ground when S-Sakura-chan and Ino-chan came, I'll get some more" Hinata told Naruto, she reached out and got another pair of chopsticks and broke them apart,

"Here Naruto-kun" She said as she continued feeding Naruto the noodles, Sakura looked up from her bowl of ramen to see Hinata helping Naruto, she nudged Ino in the side to get her attention, she saw what they were doing and struggled not to laugh, Sakura turned to Ino

_"They're the perfect couple" _Sakura mouthed

_"They're SO cute!" _Ino mouthed back. Hinata put the chopsticks down

"Thats all the noodles, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as Naruto gripped the sides of the bowl and brought it up to his lips, she turned around to her own bowl of ramen then looked to the right to Ino and Sakura, who had broad smiles on their faces, Hinata's forgotten blush re-surfaced. Naruto put down the bowl having drank the reminants, He let out a powerfull satisfied sigh

"Thanks Hinata, I could really go for another bowl if you don't mind" Naruto said, He heard a few giggles coming from Ino and Sakura but ignored them

"If you want Naruto-kun" Hinata said kindly

"Another miso ramen please!" Naruto called to the owner, Hinata continued to eat her ramen,

"So Naruto..." Naruto heard Ino's voice "...How long are you going to be wearing those bandages under your headband?"

"Well, Tsunade obaa-chan said that they'll stay on for a week, if my eyes haven't started to heal by then, well, I may never see again" Naruto said, he was starting to get used to the idea of going without his sight permenantly.

"So, in that week, Does Hinata have to be with you all the time? Ino questioned, while both she and Sakura wore huge grins not unnoticed by Hinata, who felt another blush coming on

"No not all the time, she's going to leave me at night when I go to bed but she's going to be back in the morning" Naruto explained to Ino

"So..."An evil smile now decorated Ino's face "...Is she going to help you shower?" This sent Naruto of his chair and Ino and Sakura over the edge, They howled with laughter unable to contain themselves any longer, while Hinata who had been innocently finishing of her noodles began choking.

"N-N-NO! Nothing like that, no" Ino and Sakura were trying to decide who's face was the darker shade of red. Naruto was on the ground was trying to get back up, his hands found themselves on the base of the stool, he used this as a guide to help him up once on his feet, he sat back down very carefully

"A-Are you all right N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata said, unwilling to look away from her ramen, Slowly their blushes went away. Naruto's ramen came and again he struggled with trying to get any noodles until Hinata offered to help once she had finished her own food

Hinata and Naruto decided to stay with Ino and Sakura at the Ichiraku stand, listening to storys of missions from each Ino, Sakura, and even Hinata. Sakura's storys were mainly re-tellings of the storys Naruto told Hinata except with Sasuke as the hero. Hinata was in the middle of a story about when her team had to fill in as waiters at a restaurent on the other side of town, Everyone was on the floor when Hinata described the antics of Kiba and Akamaru when they decided that they could balance numerous plates of food on their limbs at once

"We could have done it, if it wasn't for that old bat's handbag getting in the way, the damn manger threw us out when I dropped all those plates on her head" Said a voice coming from behind them

"K-Kiba-k-kun? I...I...well I..." Hinata was feeling very embarrased, The way Hinata told the story didn't portray Kiba and Akamaru in the best light

"Hey, Hinata what are you doing hanging around with these guys, you were meant to be training with us!" Kiba said while Akamaru barked

"I-I'm sorry K-Kiba-kun, I was helping Naruto-kun, I-I wont be training with you for the next week, d-didn't Kurenai-sensei tell you?" Although Hinata could speak normally around Naruto and somtimes Sakura and Ino, she still had trouble talking with her teamates

"Helping Naruto? Why does that idiot need help?" Kiba laughed. At this Naruto turned around and stood to face the voice

"Of course he needs help, anyone who thinks its smart to put their headband over their eyes needs help" Kiba contiued to laugh, now mockingly waving a hand in front of Naruto's face, Seeing what her teamate was doing to Naruto, an emotion Hinata had rarely felt bubbled within her, anger, towards Kiba. Hinata pushed Kiba back and stepped in between him and Naruto, Naruto sensed that Hinata now stood in between and decided to '_see'_ what would happen, he knew that if he were to handle it, a fight would definatly ensue

_"...Stay out of trouble!" _Naruto remembered Tsunade's earlier warning's

"Kiba, It isn't funny, it is very serious..." Hinata said as she was taking steps forward, forcing Kiba back, she had dropped the _-Kun _at the end of his name "...There's a chance that Naruto-kun will never see again, and you think its funny!" Hinata growled, Naruto was impressed and even slightly intimitated by the voice of this new Hinata, Kiba now adopted Hinata's regular stance, shoulders hunched, head down and fingers together, Kiba was scared, his animal-like insticts told him to be afraid, very afraid. Akamaru had long since crawled his way into Kiba's jacket.

"Hinata, I'm sorry, I didn't think" Kiba said, trying his best to stop Hinata from exploding, He really should of thought before he started hurling insults at Naruto, He knew very well of her crush for Naruto and how angry she got when he made fun of him, He found out shortly after the third test prelims of the chuunin exams, Kiba started to make fun of how Naruto won their fight when they were training, Hinata heard this and almost shouted at Kiba, he was smart enough to see a crush, and he saw the one Hinata had for Naruto.

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to, Kiba" Kiba looked up at Hinata with a pleading expression but Hinata had none of it, she narrowed her eyes and Kiba knew he had the choice to apologise to Naruto or have his internel organs reduced to dust by an angry Hinata, Kiba didn't know exactly how angry Hinata could get, he wasn't sure that she would resort to violence but he wasn't going to test out that theory

"I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't know you really couldn't see" Kiba said keeping his head down

"Thats alright Kiba, just try to remember to get a scope of the situation before acting next time" Naruto said cheerfully, for some reason Naruto didn't hold any form of anger, except the anger he held for Neji when he hurt Hinata but apart from that he wouldn't hold any sort of negative feeling against somone, Naruto often wondered this himself but decided that it was a side effect of his _put a smile on everything _attitude when he was growing up. Without another word Kiba left with his perverbial tail between his legs. Hinata let out the breath she forgot she was holding and turned around to see the approving smiles of Sakura and Ino, and a thankfull smile from Naruto

"Thanks Hinata, I probably would have gotten myself into a fight if I had said anything" Naruto said while still smiling

"Well, we've spent enough time hanging around here, Come on Ino" Sakura said

_"We'd better leave these two alone" _Sakura mouthed to Ino after, Ino smiled back, Hinata realised what they were doing, she blushed and nodded

"Good bye Sakura-chan, Ino-chan" Hinata said with a smile of her own

"see you later Hinata-chan, I hope your eyes get better Naruto" Sakura said kindly

"Yeah, and just get Hinata to handle anyone who makes fun of you" Ino said jokingly

_"Good luck" _Ino and Sakura mouthed to Hinata as they left

"Thanks girls, I'll...'_see'_...you later" Naruto forced a smile, without another word Ino and Sakura were gone

"What would you like to do now, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked kindly

"Hmmm...What time is it Hinata?" Naruto asked, Hinata looked to the clock on the wall of the stand and was surprised

"Its five o'clock Naruto-kun" She was surprised that so much time had passed since lunch

"Is it? Okay, time flies when your having fun" Naruto chuckled "Or when you can't see" He added, Hinata noticed the sad tone in his voice

"Try not to worry, Naruto-kun, Everything just has a way of working itself out, you just have to give it time" Hinata reassured him, She used the same line to reassure herself when her father was telling her that she was weak.

"Your right, thanks Hinata. Alright, five o'clock? I'm usually still training at this time, but it seems that I wont be able to do that for a while" Naruto said, wondering what they could do

"I got it! you can help me hone my senses!" Naruto said, thinking it was the best idea he ever came up with, Hinata looked puzzled

"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" Naruto stood up from the stool

"I'll explain while we walk, come on" Naruto said as he held out his hand for Hinata, Hinata once again placed his hand on her arm but was feeling relectant to helping him train, she guessed that she would see what Naruto meant and if she thought that it might be strenuous to him then she would tell him not to do it

"what I had in mind is simple, since I can't use my sight I might as well get my remaining sences to fill in." Hinata was still confused of what he meant but decided that she would allow him to do this

"How do you plan to do this Naruto-kun? Hinata asked, A smile came across Naruto's face

"We'll train my four remaining sences individually so they can fill in for my lack of sight, I refuse to give up my life as a ninja whether I lose my sight or not!" Naruto said, Hinata smiled at Naruto's display of courage

"Its going to be difficult to live as a ninja without your sight, Naruto-kun, If I were in your position I would be too scared to leave the house" Hinata said sadly, Naruto turned his head to face Hinata

"Hinata, I'll tell you a secret, I'm scared out of my mind, This morning when I woke up, I didn't know if I was alone in the hospital room, I could hear people talking and walking around, but I couldn't tell if they were inside the room or echoes coming from the corridor, and earlier when Kiba came, I didn't know what was happening I thought I was going to get into a fight with him, that thought scared me. My point is, Hinata, Don't think that I'm not afraid 'cause I am, but that fear is keeping me going, I want to get stronger despite the loss of my sight, I wont go back on my words" Hinata smiled at this

"Thats your way of the ninja" Hinata said, Naruto burst out laughing, along with Hinata.

After ten minutes of walking, Hinata and Naruto arrived at the training field, Hinata wasn't sure how to procede but decided that Naruto had a plan

"Okay, this is what I would like you to do, Hinata, Gather twelve rocks and place them in a clockface about three meters away from me, once that is done I will face one stone and you will stand over a random stone in the circle and snap your fingers and I've got to say which stone your at, Understand?" Naruto finished explaining

"Yes, Naruto-kun" Said Hinata as she proceded to gather the rocks, she placed them in about a three meter radias of Naruto who was kneeling down

"I'm ready Naruto-kun" Hinata informed as she placed the last rock down

"Good, now stand at any one rock and snap your fingers" Hinata stood at the rock at eight o'clock from where Naruto was facing and snapped her fingers, after a few seconds of thought he figured out which rock she was at

"Six o'clock!" Naruto said triumphantly, Hinata sighed, this could take a while

"No Naruto-kun, eight o'clock" Hinata could just hear Naruto cursing under his breath

"Alright lets try this again" Hinata changed to the three o'clock rock and snapped her fingers

"Two o'clock!" Naruto said with just as much triumph as before

"Three" Hinata sighed

They kept at this for a few hours after the sun went down before Hinata decided that it was time to go see Tsunade, Naruto did mange to sense where Hinata was by the end of the session but Hinata wasn't sure if it was just pure luck, although his guesses were only within two hours of where Hinata was standing, Naruto was still feeling proud of himself

"I'm sure I could of sensed you better if my eyes weren't hurting" Naruto said trying to make an excuse, he felt Hinata jerk to a stop

"Hinata what is it...ahhh!" As Hinata stopped Naruto kept on moving which unfortunatly made him trip over a large rock which was sticking out of the ground, Hinata saw that Naruto was falling and tried to stop him, Her grip on his arm turned Naruto around as he was falling so he would land on his back but Naruto's weight brought her down on top of him, with a grunt Naruto hit the ground and a split second later a weight dropped down on top of him, He could only guess that it was Hinata, Both blushed heavily at this, Hinata struggled to get up, her arms were weighed down underneath Naruto's body, Naruto just lay there completly entranced by Hinata's sweet smell, they were so close that they could feel each others body heat, Hinata was struggling to free her hands to get up because her face was unbelievably close to Naruto's, She managed to wriggle her hands out from behind Naruto and pushed herself up, she felt very weak-kneed from the closeness to Naruto but found the strength to stand, Naruto was busy thinking about how nice that felt

_"NIce? Oh god, That damn perverted hermit is having an effect on me, Okay, clear my mind and stand up!" _Naruto said inside his head

"A-are you a-alright Naruto-kun" Naruto heard Hinata's voice

"I-I'm fine, thanks Hinata, Come on lets get going" Naruto said shakily. He held out his hand and felt Hinata's hand place it on her arm as she began to guide him again.

"I'm sorry for making you fall Naruto-kun, its just that you said that you had a pain in your eyes, and thats meant to be a sign that there healing, right?" Naruto stopped abruptly at Hinata's words

"It wasn't your fault that I fell but your right, my eyes are healing" Naruto said happily. before long they reached the villige headquarters.

"We're here Naruto-kun" Hinata said, her stuttering now forgotten

"Okay, lets go see what Obaa-chan has to say" Naruto said starting to feel the day catching up to him, he couldn't wait to go home and crawl into bed, he then idley thought about what it must be like to fall asleep with Hinata in his arms like she was earlier, after he realised what he just thought he turned bright red

"Naruto-kun are you all right you seem to be heating up" Hinata asked concerned as she pushed the doors to the building open.

"Err, I'm fine, just a bit tired" Naruto said trying to stop blushing, Hinata guided Naruto followed a sign saying "Hokage office" up some stairs and along a coridor, there was a jounin standing guard outside the office, he nodded to Hinata signaling that she could go in, Tsunade had probably informed him that they were coming, She opened the door and guided Naruto inside before closing the door behind her, What Hinata saw was hard not to laugh at, Tsunade had seemingly fallen asleep over her desk, using a number of scrolls as a pillow, she was snoring but not very loudly. Hinata brought Naruto closer to the desk

"Hokage-sama?" Hinata called out trying to wake her up, but to no avail

"Here Hinata, lt me try..." Naruto said before taking in a deep breath "I'LL GIVE YOU TEN-TO-ONE ODDS AT THREE-CARD-MONTE!" Tsunade sat bone-breakingly upright and was wide awake at this

"I'LL TAKE THOSE ODDS!" she shouted, instinctivly taking an easy bet

"Huh, wha', NARUTO! don't do that again!" Tsunade said as she realised that there was no bet to be had, Naruto was busy laughing his head off

"I see Hinata has kept you out of trouble, Naruto, I'm glad I asked her to take care of you and not somone like Jiraiya. Hinata help him into a seat while I take a look at him, please" Tsunade asked, Hinata helped Naruto into a chair that was in front of the desk Tsunade came round her desk and and sat in a second chair opposite Naruto

"Naruto please remove your forehead protecter" Tsunade asked as she prepared an analysing techniqe, Naruto removed his headband to expose the bandages

"Hey obaa-chan, My eyes have started to hurt" Naruto informed exitedly, Tsunade concentrated on the jutsu instead of giving in to the urge to strike Naruto across the head

"Thats a good sign, but I would of expected for the pain to surface sooner" Tsunade said,she noticed the smile disappear from Naruto's face and once again felt bad for making Naruto feel down.

"Well Naruto, your eyes have started to heal but slowly, I'm afraid it still looks grim" Tsunade said before she canceled the techniqe

"So anyway, how did you two get on today?" Tsunade asked, trying to change the subject

"It was fun, although it was a bit difficult at times" Naruto replied with a chuckle, Hinata giggled as well

"I also improved my hearing skills, incase I have to get used to a sightless life" Naruto said

"Okay then thats good to 'hear'. Its getting late so why don't you take Naruto home, Hinata, Naruto do you have a spare key to your appartment lying around?" Tsunade asked

"I think so, why?" Naruto was curious

"I just think that Hinata should have a key so she can get in, in the morning and so she can lock up at night" Tsunade told Naruto

"Oh, alright I'll give it to her later, then" Naruto said

"Good, now off you go, I don't want you falling asleep over my desk" Tsunade said feeling her eye-lids begining to feel heavy

"Okay then, come on Hinata, lets go" Naruto said as he put his forehead protecter over his eyes

Naruto stood up and Hinata reached out for his hand and placed it on her arm

"Good night Hokage-sama" Said Hinata as she leaded him out of the office, Tsunade just waved her hand as she fought a yawn

Hinata leaded Naruto out of the main gates of the villige headquarters and procedded down the main street of the villige

"Hinata, Do you know where your going?" Naruto wasn't sure if she knew where he lived

"Yes, Naruto-kun I've seen you enter an appartment block a few times in the west of the villige" In truth she had been secretly watching him and had seen him go up the stairs of his appartment, but she wasn't about to say that part

"That's good, I'd have a hard time trying to guide you" Naruto said. They walked for about ten minutes without one word passing between them, until Naruto, who was desparate to break the silence, decided to say somthing

"Hinata...Thanks...Thanks for helping me today, I don't no where I'd be if I didn't have you to guide me, If it were Sakura guiding me I would probably have gotten into a fight with Kiba or walked into a lamp post" Naruto said

"Your welcome Naruto-kun, I actually enjoyed myself today" Smiled Hinata, Before they realised it, they had arrived at Naruto's appartment

"Naruto-kun we're here" Hinata informed Naruto

"Okay, my appartment is on the second floor" Naruto said as Hinata leaded him toward the stairs, Noticing the upcoming hazard with a blind Naruto climbing stairs Hinata turned to Naruto

"Naruto-kun be very carefull here, put your other hand on the rail and don't rush" Hinata warned him, Naruto just nodded. slowly but surely they climbed the stairs and soon enough they reached the top

"It's the second door" He told Hinata, She guided him over and Naruto got out his key and unlocked the door, Blushing from the prospect of seeing the inside of Naruto's appartment she stepped inside with Naruto, She searched on the wall for a light switch so she could guide Naruto around, she found it and flicked it to the 'on' position, when the light filled the room Hinata was surprised that Naruto could the place so tidy, She manouvered him arond the few pieces of furniture Naruto did own and through an open door she guesed was the bedroom, She found the light switch and flicked it, Apart from a few scrolls on the floor and a cluttered desk it was clean

"Thanks Hinata, I can take it from here" Naruto said as he walked into his bed

"Naruto-kun, I've been told to stay until you are in bed, and you were meant to give me a key" Hinata said, amazed she didn't stutter, even if she did blush but at least Naruto couldn't see that, Naruto nodded as he reached out a hand to find his bedside table, once he found it, he put his hand in a bowl and he started to search around in, Hinata could hear the jingle of coins and other metalic objects before Naruto produced a key, he held it out in front of and waited for Hinata to take it

"Here's the key, Its a bit difficult to turn but just jiggle it a few times and it should work" Naruto said as he sat down on the bed

"Thank you, Naruto-kun, I'll wait outside" Hinata tried not to laugh when she noticed the penguin pajamas on his bed on her way out

_"I bet he must look SO cute in those" _Hinata thought to herself before blushing furiously

_"Oh god, I left my penguin pajamas out before I left, I hope she didn't see them!" _Naruto thought as he felt the night cloathing on his bed, He decided not to worry about it and started to undress, Hinata waited patiantly outside his room, she heard a few curses coming from inside the room but nothing that would merit her needing to go inside and helping him. Naruto proceded to change into his pajamas with a little difficulty but managed to do it in the end, it wasn't long before he was curled up in bed

"Thanks Hinata, you can go now, If you can come here around about nine o'clock that'll be great!" Naruto called out to the door

"Good night Naruto-kun, See you tomorrow" Hinata replied as she made her way to the front door.

_"If she was anyone else I probably would of shouted to her for saying 'see', I wonder why I didn't say anything to her?" _Before too long Naruto was asleep and dreaming, not about falling down a hole or being pushed around, but of a certain blue-haired girl who he was rapidly growing fond of.

Authors note: SIGH Two days spent working on this but I got it done, you may notice I used one or two suggestions from the reveiwers a special thanks to them;

**TimeShifter16** - I'm sorry I didn't make their lips touch when they fell, I'm saving that for later, thank you!

**Boredathome** - Thanks for your suggestion, I think I might use it in a later chapter

**Wormkaizer **- I don't think I'll have Hinata directly helping Naruto bathe, Maybe in an R-rated sequal perhaps ( Winks )

And thanks to all the other reveiwers

Please Reveiw, I'll need a few ideas for the next chapter.


	4. Changes in attitude

**Author's note:** First off, I'd like to say that I am truly sorry for the late update, my computer decided that it would be fun to...mess with me. Following an incident with my computer, a hammer and me, it has agreed never to crap out again, again I'm sorry, I try to update the second I complete a chapter but my time is becoming limited, I've gone back to school and am currently swamped with homework so don't expect quick updates but I promise that I will finish this Fic or die trying. Thank you to all my reviewers for your kind words. This being my first fic, I was amazed that people would like it this much. I'm not sure how long this and following chapters will be but I don't think that they will be much longer or shorter than the third chapter, I'm doing my best to keep this story interesting.

**On a story related note: **I do intend to have most of the main characters appear at some point in the story. Naruto and Hinata won't be the only pairing that will appear in the story but it will be the one I will focus on ( in case you couldn't tell ) Please read&reveiw and remember that I am open to any ideas you may have.

**Crutches: **At your request, Neji will appear _this _chapter

**Chibified Kitsunes: **Your welcome, I loved your fic, it was one of the best fics I've read alongside, Twohalves, Nindo, etc. Sasuke and Hiashi both appear in this chapter. Would you mind if I borrow an idea or two from your fic? I really think that it could enhance my fic

Here you are, chapter 4. ( Better late than never )

**Out of Sight, Center of Mind**

Chapter four - Changes in attitude

After a blissful dream, Naruto woke feeling very relaxed. After remembering his dream, Naruto felt very hot in the cheeks, in this dream, Hinata had confessed her love for him, they spent the entire dream holding each other and saying sweet things to each other, The thing that scared Naruto the most was that he almost groaned in disappointment when he realized that it had all been a dream. He sighed deeply and waited for Hinata to come for him. The lack of birdsong outside suggested to Naruto that it was still pre-dawn, Naruto was starting to fully appreciate his sightless state, he never knew how calming the sound of the wind could be or the crunch of dirt beneath his sandals as he walked or the heavenly voice of Hinata,

"Damn it! why do I keep on getting these thoughts, its all that damn perverts fault, he's having a bad influence on me" Naruto grumbled to himself "Besides...its not like she would like me in that way" Naruto added sorrowfully. All of a sudden Naruto felt something rumble around in his bowels

"Oh boy! I completely forgot!" Naruto said to himself, knowing the consequences of having a bowel movement here in his bed, Naruto rolled out of bed and ran to the bathroom, through many nights of staggering around his apartment in darkness, Naruto could walk his way to the bathroom with his eyes closed, well when he could see, that is. On his quest for the bathroom, He managed to hit his foot of the bedside table, walk into the door and knock over a stack of scrolls that were near his door. Naruto proceeded to run into the bathroom and slam the door, to...take care of business.

Hinata awoke from a similar dream to Naruto's, although she 'usually' wakes up from that dream, except when she has dreams of not being good enough in her clan's eyes, looking over at her clock she realizes that it is just after six, she decides to get up instead of risking oversleeping again, She removes the covers and gets up, and walks over to her wardrobe to pick out her clothes for the day, once she decided on her clothes she took them into her bathroom, She removed her nightclothes and stepped into the bathtub and turned on the shower, after she had washed her hair and cleansed her body she stepped out of the tub and dried herself then she put on her clothes for the day, after brushing her teeth and combing her hair she walked out of the bathroom and proceeded out of her room and downstairs to breakfast where she met her father

"G-goodmorning father" Hinata said, feeling her head drop down, Hiashi eyed his daughter

"I have been told that you have walking around with Uzumaki Naruto" Hiashi said unemotionally

"Th-thats t-true, father, but I..."

"And I hear that you stood up to your teammate when he made fun of Uzumaki Naruto" Hinata briefly raised her head, she wasn't sure anymore of where he was going with this

"Yes father" Hinata replied, Hinata could see her father's face and he appeared to be...smiling? Hinata raised her head to get a better look at her father, he was definitely smiling, it was small but there was no mistaking

"F-Father?" Hinata was unsure about her father

"It looks like you are growing more confidant, my daughter. Maybe I was wrong about you" Hiashi said before turning around and leaving a speechless Hinata to her own thoughts

"He has never called me _'His daughter' _before, I have never heard him admitting that he might be wrong either" Hinata said to herself after a few minutes of recovery, She decided to continue to the dining hall for breakfast but couldn't keep her thoughts off her father. As she sat down, a servant placed a tray of breakfast in front of her; it was a small breakfast, just a bowl of rice and a plate of small cooked fish with some green tea. As she ate, she felt another presence in the room, she turned around to see Neji walking towards her, she began to feel uneasy, she remembered how she bumped into him the previous day and how she didn't apologize. Hinata sat back around in her chair, waiting to hear what Neji had to say. He drew near and pulled out a chair and sat next to Hinata

"It's that Naruto, isn't it, Hinata-sama" Neji said, Hinata looked toward Neji, he no longer thought of her as an inferior person but now as a caring individual, although he was still easily annoyed, Neji was now a likable guy

_'It seems that everyone but Naruto-kun knows' Hinata_ thought as she smiledwith a faint blush on her cheeks

"Is it really that obvious, Neji-nii-san?" Hinata asked, Neji's face now became very serious

"Hinata-sama, are you sure you want to do it? Remember, you don't have to, there are other ways of becoming stronger, are you sure you thought it through?" Neji asked, Hinata knew what he was talking about

"I know there are other ways, but I've thought it through, I thought about it almost all day on Monday, up until I heard about Naruto-kun, and I have made up my mind" Hinata said

"Hinata-sama, The first time I tried it, my body almost ripped apart, I urge you not to go through with it, I acknowledge that you have gotten stronger but I still think it's too soon" Neji said

"Thank you Neji-nii-san, but my father is starting to have greater expectations of me, I just don't want to let him down again, I want to do this" Hinata said, Neji looked at Hinata with a hint of admiration. At this Hinata stood up and walked towards the door, although it was only half past seven she decided to go out for a walk to think things over.

_'I've always wanted to become stronger but I can never seem to amount to anything, now, I'm becoming stronger, I'm changing for the better, I know that I'm ready' Hinata_ thought

Once Naruto had '_finished'_ he stood up and washed his hands and brushed his teeth and noticing the smell around him, he searched around for his can of air freshener and sprayed the air, replacing it with a fresh natural smell, he sighed in relief and walked back to his bedroom deciding that it would be the safest place to wait for Hinata, While he waited he thought he might as well change but he had forgotten where he put his clothes last night

"I should really stop throwing my...OH GOD NO! MY BOXERS, SHE'S GOING TO SEE MY BOXERS ON THE GROUND, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?" Naruto shouted as the realization hit him, so he spent the remainder of his time on the floor trying to find his clothes, but he found nothing but his forehead protector which he placed on his bedside table for later, a few more minutes of crawling around on the ground and Naruto heard the locks of his door begin to turn

"Oh crap!" Naruto said to himself. Quickly he got to his feet and got back to his bed, and pulled the covers up to his neck as if he were asleep

_'Maybe she won't see them' _Naruto thought hopefully _'who am I kidding, of course she'll see them, she's going to have to hand me my clothes after all' _He reminded himself. He heard the door open and shut and shortly after he heard his bedroom door open and someone enter, it had to be Hinata

"Naruto-kun are you asleep?" He heard Hinata's sweet voice, Naruto decided to stay quiet, He heard the opening of his cupboard and the clatter of clothes hangers

_'She must be getting some clean clothes for the day, I wonder why I didn't think of that?'_ he then heard a squeak, one that he heard every time he opened his underwear drawer, Naruto gulped silently at this, He heard another squeak only this one seemed to come from Hinata, A few seconds later he heard the drawer and the cupboard close and footsteps approach him

"N-Naruto-kun, Its time to get up" Hinata said, nervous about holding Naruto's clothing. Naruto then felt a hand on his shoulder and gently shake him, Naruto decided to cut it out and _'wake up'_

"Huh, Hinata-Chan, is that you? Naruto asked not even noticing that he added 'Chan' at the end of her name, Hinata blushed furiously but responded

"Yes Naruto-kun, it is me, I have some of your clean clothes, seeing as that you have been wearing your other clothes for a couple of days"

"Thanks Hinata-Chan, just put them down on the bed please" Naruto asked

_'Something felt different I...Oh crap, I called her 'Chan' It just felt so natural though, and she didn't seem to mind' _ Naruto thought as he sat up in bed causing the cover to fall down

_'I was right, he does look cute in those!' _thought Hinata while her blush intensified. Naruto felt his clothes, trying to figure out which piece is what, He found his t-shirt and proceeded to remove his cap and pajama top, Hinata felt like she was going to faint from this, so she decided to wait outside, Naruto heard his door open and close

_'Oops! I should of asked her to wait outside before I started getting changed'_ Naruto thought as he started to blush. He decided that it was easier to get changed while he was lying down, so he didn't take as much time as before, once he was fully dressed he reached out to the bedside table and picked off his forehead protector where he left it a few minutes ago. Naruto swung his legs out of bed so that he was sitting on the bed and slipped on his sandals. Now completely dressed Naruto walked towards the door to where Hinata was, He placed his hand on the handle and opened the door, He heard a noise that sounded like a gasp, he took one step forward before he felt something fall back on him, Hinata was leaning against the other side of the door trying to forget how cute Naruto looked in his pajamas when suddenly the door opened and she fell back, By reflex Naruto stuck out his hands to catch what ever it was that fell on him.

_'Oh no! His hands are very close to my breasts' _Hinata thought as she looked down to where Naruto's hands were,

"I'm s-sorry Naruto-kun I-I didn't mean to fall on you again I was just thinking" Hinata said as Naruto put her back on her feet

"Don't worry about it, Hinata-Chan, it was my fault, I should of called to you first" Naruto said cheerfully

"Naruto-kun, would you like some breakfast?" Hinata asked her embarrassment subsiding

"I would love some, Hinata-Chan, I haven't eaten since the ramen stand yesterday" said Naruto, Hinata smiled

"Okay then, have a seat at the table and I'll prepare some ramen for you" Hinata said

"You know me too well, Hinata-Chan" Naruto laughed as he sat down, Hinata was starting to get used to him calling her that.

"What would you like to do after breakfast, Naruto-kun" Hinata asked as she prepared the ramen

"Well, I suppose we could go and meet up with my team, I still haven't spoken with Sasuke yet" Naruto said unemotionally

"Okay then, that's what we'll do" Hinata said, pouring the boiled water into the cup of ramen and the rest in a tea-cup so she could have something to drink while she waited for Naruto

"What do you plan to say to him when we meet him" Hinata said, being careful not to say _'see'. _She placed the cup of ramen in Naruto's hand and then sat down with her cup of tea

"I'll just wait to hear what _he_ has to say" Naruto replied before eating his ramen, he was getting better at it, Hinata decided that she wouldn't have to help him this time

_'Shame' _Thought Hinata as she sipped her tea

"Hinata? I've been meaning to ask, What does your family think of you hanging around with me, I know how everyone thinks of me and your family wont be much different, will they?" Naruto asked, Hinata was unsure how to answer

"It's true that my father thought badly of you but know I think he is changing his mind, when I spoke to him this morning he didn't seem angry that I was with you, In fact he is starting to look at me differently" Hinata said, remembering her previous talk with her father and with Neji

"Well that's good Hinata, if he is starting to see what I see then your life should get easier, right?" Naruto said

"I just don't want to let him down, I may be changing but I don't think that I'm getting much stronger" Hinata said a little sadly, Naruto was confused

"Hinata, you are much stronger than you think, You had the courage to stand up to Neji when he was saying that you were nothing and just yesterday you faced down your own teammate when he insulted one of your friends" Hinata looked up at this and smiled

"Thank you, Naruto-kun" Hinata said feeling relieved of her past worries

"Your welcome Hinata-Chan" Naruto smiled his most caring and warmest smiles which made Hinata feel very happy, happy about herself

"Well, I'm finished my ramen, shall we leave?" Naruto said while still smiling

"Yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata replied as she finished her tea and set it down on the table. Hinata stood up and walked around to Naruto and placed his hand on her arm and carefully guided him out of his apartment.

Sakura and Sasuke were both waiting for Kakashi at the bridge where they usually meet, It's the first time they've seen their sensei since they got back from their last mission and Sakura is feeling a bit uneasy since it just didn't feel right without Naruto, Although she was happy that it meant a chance to get Naruto and her best friend to hook up, but she couldn't shake the thoughts of Naruto never being able to see again, This was the first time she was alone with Sasuke without trying to flirt with him, Sasuke notices this and decides to be the one to start talking

"Hey Sakura, Do you know why Naruto isn't here? I haven't seen him since the mission" Sasuke said, Sakura looked up truly shocked, she never knew Sasuke to say anything when he didn't have to

_'He doesn't know?' _Sakura thought to herself

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto is...injured" Sakura said, unsure of how to tell him

"...Injured?" Sasuke said, his voice had the slightest hint of remorse

"He can't see, Sasuke-kun, When you...When the flames hit his face, they damaged the nerves and cost Naruto his sight, and the chances are not in favor of him getting his sight back" Sakura Explained, afraid she just made him feel guilty

"It's my fault, If I had only aimed slightly to the left, Naruto would still be able to see but now, he will probably never be able to live as a ninja again" Sasuke said looking down in shame

"You mustn't think like that Sasuke-kun, If it was slightly to the right then you would've killed Naruto, He'll be alright" Sakura said, desperate to raise his spirits. They remained silent for another twenty minutes before they heard Naruto's voice, Sakura turned and waved to Hinata and Sasuke stood up straight, knowing that Naruto was approaching, Sasuke shot a glance to Sakura and she looked towards him

"Don't worry about it, Naruto doesn't hold grudges" Sakura whispered to Sasuke, Sasuke merely nodded

"Hi Naruto, Good morning Hinata-Chan" Sakura said cheerfully, Hinata Smiled and nodded

"Hello Sakura-Chan" Naruto said smiling, which dimmed when he felt the presence of Sasuke

"Hey, Sasuke" Naruto greeted, his voice lacking energy

"Naruto" Sasuke responded, an awkward silence loomed over them

"Kakashi-sensei is late again, I...see" Naruto said, breaking the silence, Sasuke decided to say something

"Naruto, I'm...I'm s-sorry" Sasuke struggled to say, everyone raised their heads and looked at Sasuke with awe

"Don't worry about it Sasuke" Naruto said happily, Hinata smiled and looked at Naruto and placed a comforting hand on his. With a smile, Sasuke turned around and looked over the side of the bridge, Naruto expected no less

"What have you two been up to then?" Sakura asked Naruto and Hinata

"Nothing much, Hinata-Chan has just been helping me around" Naruto explained

_'Hinata...Chan?' _Sakura thought as she broke into a smile, Hinata caught sight of this and blushed, she could tell what she was thinking

"Oh, Okay then. What are you two doing here anyway? I don't think you'll be allowed to do missions in your currant state" Sakura asked

"What? I'm not allowed to visit my own friends" Naruto asked, faking hurt

"Aww, come on Naruto, you know I didn't mean it like that" Sakura smile as Hinata and Naruto smiled back

"Yo, Guys" A voice came from behind them

"YOUR LATE!" Sakura screamed at her sensei, Naruto stayed quiet because he didn't have to be there

"Ahh, well the thing is, I put my forehead protector over the wrong eye and as I was walking, I started to copy a street mime who I saw on the way here" Kakashi said as he acted like he was trapped in a box, Sakura and Naruto were cursing under their breaths while Hinata giggled at Kakashi performing a mime, Given away by her giggle, Kakashi looked toward Hinata, who averted her eyes and then he looked to Naruto, Remembering that he was told by Tsunade that he had lost his sight Kakashi decided to say something

"So Naruto...is my _'cover up an eye with your fore-head protector' _style catching on" Kakashi chuckled, Naruto forced a laugh, knowing that he was trying to make light of the situation.

"So what are you guys going to be doing today then?" Naruto asked Kakashi

"Well, that's the thing, I kinda forgot to tell them that there will be no missions for team seven until your condition is decided" Kakashi said, Naruto sensed an intent violent aura coming from both Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto knew what was about to happen so he put his arm in front of Hinata and gently pushed her back while walking out of the line between Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi

"Naruto-kun? What are yo..."

"Trust me Hinata-Chan, this could get ugly" Naruto told Hinata as he awaited the following moments

"YOU MEAN TO TELL US THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE HERE!" Sakura screamed

"And you have the nerve to show up late as well" Sasuke said although not as loud as Sakura it was dripping with anger

"Didn't I tell you about the mime?" Kakashi questioned, once again pretending to be trapped in a box, seemingly oblivious to their intent. Without another word, Sakura and Sasuke charged at Kakashi, screaming like banshees. A volley of kicks and punches were delivered to Kakashi only to have him disappear

"A GOD DAMN SHADOW CLONE!?" Sakura screamed. Naruto decided to try and diffuse the situation before they decided to hunt for Kakashi skin

"Well, since you guys aren't going to train, why don't you hang out with Hinata-Chan and I" Naruto suggested happily

"Sure" Sasuke said un-emotionally, secretly he was happy to be invited, it showed that Naruto didn't care about what he did to him

"I have to agree with Sasuke-kun, I can't g...What? Your actually going, Sasuke-kun? Well my day is free, I'll come as well" Sakura said, It wasn't that she didn't want to hang out with Naruto and Hinata, it's just that she would prefer to hang out with Sasuke

"Great! Lets go" Naruto said as he pumped his fist into the air and began to walk forward, unfortunately he forgot that he should've taken hold of Hinata's arm first, he cursed himself as he tripped over yet another rock sticking out the ground, Naruto fell flat on his face while Sakura snickered at him, Hinata however was a lot more concerned

"Naruto-kun! Are you alright?" Hinata asked as she helped Naruto to his feet

"It seems that every time I let go of you, I fall over" Naruto joked before both Hinata and himself remembered what had happened the previous night, both blushed simultaneously, Sakura noticed this and wondered what had happened

_'It won't be long before these two get together' _Inner-Sakura laughed. Hinata helped Naruto to his feet and placed his hand firmly on her arm

"Naruto-kun, please try not to move unless you are holding onto me" Hinata told Naruto. Sasuke gave Sakura a questioning look

'_Just wait' _Sakura mouthed to Sasuke and winked, Sasuke mentally kicked himself for blushing but was relieved to see that Sakura had turned back to Hinata and Naruto with a blush of her own

'_Maybe she didn't notice, but why did I blush in the first place?' _Sasuke thought to himself, but unknown to him, Sasuke's blush did not go unnoticed by Sakura

'_What was that for?' inner-_Sakura said, almost unable to speak

"Hey, Naruto, what are we going to do today?" Sakura asked, breaking everyone's line of thought

"Well, we could start by getting some ramen, then decide what to do from there" Naruto suggested

"Fair enough" Sasuke said

"Again? Naruto we spent almost all day yesterday at the ramen stand" Sakura said trying not to sound too irritated

"I didn't say we should spend all day there again, I just thought that we could think about we could do today, at the stand and get something to eat while we're there, besides you always think better on a full stomach" Naruto explained.

"Fine, lets go" Sakura said, taking the lead with Sasuke following after, Naruto started to walk forward as he felt Hinata guide him. The four of them made their way to the ramen stand and listened to Naruto explain his blind training methods. Sasuke, Sakura and Hinata all had their own thoughts on Naruto

'_I can't believe how determined Naruto is even after he lost his sight he continues to push forwards' _Sasuke thought with admiration

'_He's strong and a true friend, I hope he gets his sight back' _Sakura thought

'_Naruto-kun, You are truly strong, I only wish I had the courage to tell you how I feel about you' _Hinata smiled as she listened to Naruto explain about yesterday's training.

When they arrived at the Ichiraku, Naruto was explaining that no matter what happened he would get through this.

"Naruto-kun, we're here...again" Hinata said to Naruto

"GREAT! Well, Lets go inside already" Naruto said, earning him smirks from his companions, Hinata guided Naruto inside and helped him onto one of the stools before sitting herself down, Sasuke and Sakura sat down next to Hinata

"Welcome" Greeted the owner as he looked at his latest customers "What'll it be?" He asked happily

"Miso for me please" Naruto ordered excitedly

"Uhmm...Some chicken ramen for me please" Hinata requested politely

"Same for me please" Sakura asked

"I'll have today's special" Sasuke said. The owner smiled and turned around and started to put the necessary ingredients into the bowls

"So...any ideas yet?" Sakura looked around the group

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I'll take that as a 'no' then shall I?" Sakura said as she rested her head on her propped up arm. The 'annoying' three-minute waiting time for ramen passed and no suggestions had been put forward

"Here you are, enjoy!" The owner said as he placed the four bowls in front of his customers

"Maybe the ramen will help" Sakura said as she picked out some chopsticks and started to eat.

Hinata reached for two pairs of chopsticks and handed one to Naruto

"Do you think you'll mange Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she broke apart her chopsticks

"I'll do my best, but can I count on your help if I run into trouble, Hinata-Chan?" Naruto asked cheekily

"Of course Naruto-Kun" Hinata replied in the same tone, smiling. Naruto broke apart his chopsticks and carefully lowered them into the bowl

'_Strange' _Sasuke thought, noticing the interaction between Naruto and Hinata, He filed away his thoughts for the time being and turned his attention back on his food, Naruto was having difficulty with his ramen but not as much as the previous day, today he was able to catch strands of ramen, although everyone was finished before him

"Naruto-kun, I think that I should help you" Hinata said quietly to Naruto, while Sakura had turned her gaze on Sasuke

"Alright Hinata-chan, I guess I do need help, who'da thought that you need to be able to see, to eat ramen" Naruto replied, holding out his chopsticks, Hinata smiled as she accepted them and began to feed him like the previous day. Sakura turned around when she heard Hinata giggling softly at Naruto's slurping. She smiled at the two of them and idly thought about doing the same with Sasuke, She turned to face the center of her thoughts and was surprised to see him staring at her, with his head resting on his propped up arm. Inner-Sakura raised an eyebrow as Sakura mirrored Sasuke, About three seconds later Sasuke realized what he was doing and that Sakura was staring back at him. Another dreaded blush tainted his face, he did his best to hide it but it proved useless as Sakura started to softly laugh at him, Sasuke even smirked at her laughter. Hinata turned around to see what was going on and smiled to see Sasuke and Sakura gazing into each other's eyes, She turned back to Naruto

"Sasuke and Sakura-Chan seem to be getting along very well, Naruto-kun" Hinata whispered to Naruto, Naruto's face lit up in a smile

"Really?" Grinned Naruto

"I think it won't be long until Sakura-chan finally gets her wish" Naruto whispered

"Erm...uhh, N-Naruto-kun? I thought you _l-liked_ Sakura-chan" Hinata cautiously said

"Well as of a few weeks ago, I've given up on her, besides, she loves Sasuke" Naruto explained, trying to keep quiet seeing as though Sasuke was only two persons away

_'Did I hear him right? He's given up on her? Then I have a chance!' _Hinata squealed in happiness in her mind

"That's very nice of you Naruto-kun" Hinata said, trying not to sound too excited

"Hey, why don't we go to the lake, we could sit on the banks and hang out there for a while" Sasuke suggested breaking everyone's thoughts, secretly he just thought of it to break the silence between Sakura and himself

"That sounds nice" Hinata said, Naruto made an agreeable noise and Sakura smiled and nodded. Sakura and Sasuke stood up and left while Hinata aided Naruto to his feet and soon followed.

As they walked Naruto was wondering about something

"Hinata-chan? why did you come to see me in the first place, in the hospital?" Naruto asked, Hinata blushed and tried to dodge the obvious answer

"Y-You've done so much for me that I felt that it was the least I could do" Hinata replied, She was glad that she didn't lie to him, and that she didn't have to tell him about her feelings for him

"I'm really happy you did" Naruto smiled as he gently patted her arm

After a brisk fifteen minute walk they arrived at the banks of a lake on the outskirts of the village, next to the field where Naruto trained the night before, The afternoon sun was shining down and warming the ground, They walked closer to the lake and sat down on the grass and lay back

"This is nice, Sasuke-kun" Sakura said "It's so relaxing"

"Its the perfect time of day for it as well" Hinata pointed out

"I could stay here all day, this is so relaxing" Naruto said, feeling very comfortable, with the light breeze, the sun shining and the sounds of the waves crashing on the banks

"...mmm..." Sasuke sounded, clearly he was feeling as comfortable as the others

"Come on Hinata-chan, lets go get a few things" Sakura said as she grunted to get up

"Do I have to?" Hinata said really not wanting to get up

"I just thought that if we are going to stay here all day then we might get a few things and bring them here, so you and I could go to my house and gather together some stuff" Sakura explained, dusting off the grass that was on her behind

"Alright, fine" Hinata pouted as she struggled to get to her feet

"Okay guys, you heard me, we'll be back in about ten minutes" Sakura said as the two girls walked off together

Once he could no longer sense the girls an evil grin cracked wide open on Naruto's face

"Sasuke? What do you think of Sakura-Chan?" Naruto could hear the change in Sasuke's breathing patterns

"...well I...Don't think...she's annoying, anymore" Sasuke said picking his words carefully

"Reeeeealy" Naruto said intrigued "So does that mean that you're starting to like her?" Sasuke once again felt like his face was a hot-air balloon

"What about you? I thought you liked Sakura" Sasuke asked evadedly

"Not anymore and don't change the subject"

"I refuse to answer the question" Sasuke said

"So your _not_ saying you _don't_ '_like' _Sakura-Chan" Naruto said, grinning like a madman

"..." Sasuke wisely stayed quiet

"HA!" Naruto was ecstatic with his victory but decided to shut up before he was told

The two girls were walking through the streets leading to Sakura's house

"Sakura-Chan? Do you think Naruto-kun would ever go out with me?" Hinata asked one of her best friends

"Well, I'm not going to pretend that I know how Naruto thinks, but I do think that he's growing fond of you, I think your in for a chance" Sakura said hopefully, She smiled as she saw Hinata do the same

"What about Sasuke and yourself, what do you think your chances are?" Hinata asked

"I'm not sure, I think he's starting to notice me but I'm not sure" Sakura said doubtfully

"I wouldn't say _that_" Hinata said, remembering his attitude at the ramen stand "Just give it time"

"Thanks Hinata-chan" Sakura smiled. They arrived at Sakura's house and went inside, Sakura's mother wasn't home at the time so she was free to gather up whatever she wanted without question, They left the house with a few ground blankets and bag full of snacks and headed toward the field where sasuke and Naruto were left

"Sakura-chan? do you think it was a good idea to leave Sasuke and Naruto-kun alone?" Hinata asked

"Yeah Hinata-chan, sure...erm, well, we'll see" Sakura replied unsure of what to say

Back with Naruto and Sasuke, they hadn't said anything to each for a while

"Sasuke, Why don't you like Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked

"I never said I didn't like her" Sasuke said, He decided he should turn the tables on Naruto before he had a chance to say anything else

"So, if you don't '_like'_ Sakura then who do you like?" Sasuke questioned

"I don't know, I don't think about these things" Naruto said, for some reason he thought about Hinata and blushed

"Idiot, You really are blind" Sasuke said

"It's your fault!" Naruto threw back

"No, idiot, You can't see what is in front of your face" Sasuke tried to point out that someone _liked _him

"Of course I can't see what's in front of my face, I'm blind, remember" Naruto said, unable to grasp what Sasuke was saying

"You...they...ARRGH, FORGET IT" Sasuke screamed in frustration, falling back on the grass. Naruto sensed two people approaching

"We're ba-ack" Sakura said in a singsong voice. Sakura set the bag of snacks on the ground and spread out the blankets, Hinata walked over to Naruto

"Naruto-kun, we've brought blankets so you don't have sit on the grass anymore" Hinata told him

"Thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto smiled happily as he held out his arm to Hinata, she helped him to his feet and guided him over to the blankets and let Naruto lie back down, with a smile Hinata turned around and helped Sakura unpack the snacks. Sasuke went unnoticed as he slipped onto the blanket, picked up an apple and crunched into it. Hinata picked up two bottles of water

"Here, Naruto-kun" She said as she placed the bottle in his hand and lay down next to Naruto, trying to get as comfortable as she was before Sakura hauled her up to go with her

"This is nice, So comfortable" Hinata said dreamily, She looked over at Sasuke who had apparently fallen asleep, She decided that it would be best to stay quiet, Sakura had caught on and lay down as well, very close to Sasuke, in the hopes of an accident. Naruto didn't actually fall asleep, he just lay there thinking of what Sasuke said

A few hours went by and the sun was setting and the winds had become colder, No one had said anything, they just felt at peace, not needing to talk. As the air around them got colder they decided to get up and go to Sakura's house before parting ways for the evening, Naruto decided that his training was something special between Hinata and himself and so decided not to do it that night. They walked back to Sakura's house, carrying the blankets and the bag of rubbish. Once again no one spoke but once again, it was a comfortable silence, After the fifteen minute walk, they entered the door of the house and sat down in the living room, Sakura's mother must of been up the stairs

"How 'bout some hot-chocolate, everybody, before you all go home" Sakura asked as they were all comfortable in the seats around the room

"Yes, please, I haven't had Hot-chocolate in ages" Naruto said happily

"That would be nice" Hinata accepted the offer, while Sasuke just nodded

"Great, I've got some in the kitchen" Sakura said as she walked out of the room

"Today's been a good day, don't you think Hinata-chan, Sasuke?" Naruto asked breaking the silence

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever enjoyed doing nothing so much" Hinata joked

"Ts'alright" Sasuke said

"I'm glad that you 'nd I sorted things out, Sasuke" Naruto said

"Yeah" Sasuke seemed unwilling to talk very much. The three of them waited patiently for Sakura to return, Which she did a few minutes later with a tray of mugs and marshmallows, Hinata took a mug and handed it to Naruto

"Here's your hot-chocolate Naruto-kun, would you like some marshmallows with it?" Hinata asked, her hand hovering over the bowl of marshmallows

"Just a few, please" Naruto asked kindly, Hinata dropped a half a handful in Naruto's mug

"Enjoy!" Hinata said, as she accepted a mug of her own with a few marshmallows as well. The atmosphere made by the hot chocolate and the sound of the wind outside made it seem very homely and safe.

"Sakura! You have a long day tomorrow, You'd better get a shower and go to bed" They heard an unfamiliar voice call from up the stairs

"Okay, mother" Sakura called back up " Sorry everyone, I've gotta help a family friend move some stuff out of his basement tomorrow

"Okay, Sakura-chan" Naruto said as he downed the last of his chocolate and stood up, Sasuke and Hinata both stood up afterwards, after Naruto placed his hand on Hinata's arm they followed Sakura out the door

"See you later Sakura-chan" Naruto and Hinata called out while Sasuke just waved a hand over his shoulder

"Later" Sasuke said as he disappeared into the night, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone

"Well it feels like it's getting late so why don't you take me home now" Naruto requested

"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata smiled as she guided Naruto through the streets of Konoha, On the way Naruto found pleasure in describing in gory detail how he defeated Neji, of course, he left out the part of him using the Kyubi's chakra. They reached the apartment block just like the night before and proceeded to climb the stairs. Once they had entered the apartment Hinata guided Naruto into his bedroom and near his bed

"I'll leave some more clothes out for the morning" Hinata said as she handed Naruto's pajamas to him, while blushing. Hinata picked out a different set of clothes, A white tee-shirt with a red swirl on the chest and some electric blue trousers, Hinata blushed again as she picked up some more of his underwear, she dumped the pile down on the chair that was in the room

"Naruto-kun, If you wake up before I arrive and you want to get up then your clothes are on the chair" Hinata said and turned around, she was surprised and a little disappointed to see that Naruto had already changed and climbed into bed

"Thanks Hinata-chan, Goodnight" Naruto said as he snuggled up in bed

"Goodnight Naruto-kun, see you tomorrow" Hinata said as she left the room and proceeded out the front door, she locked it on the way out and walked home.

As Hinata walked through the main gates of the Hyugga mansion she was deep in thought

_"How should I tell him, should I ask him out, What if he says 'no'...WHAT IF HE SAYS 'YES'!"_ Hinata screamed in her head

As she entered the house she met with her father again almost in the same spot as that morning

"Good evening Father" Hinata greeted

"Good evening Hinata" Hiashi replied, with the greeting said Hiashi was about to walk away when Hinata suddenly spoke up

"Father, I want to become stronger, I am ready" Hinata said, Hiashi turned his head and smiled at Hinata

"Very well, I shall arrange it" Without another word Hiashi left, Hinata smiled to herself and proceeded up the stairs to her room. Neji, who heard the brief conversation was going over what they had said

_'She wants to do it, She truly wants to change, I only wish she would wait'_ Neji thought as he retired to the Taijutsu gym "I should really stop underestimating her"

**Author's note: **Done at long last, I've explained the situation at the top of this chapter. Thanks again to the reviewers, I only hope you liked this chapter as much as the previous ones. I'm open to suggestions, (E.G. Character appearances, Daily activities etc.)

Until next time...


	5. Naruto's thoughts POV Chapter

**Author's note:** Hello everybody. This chapter is a short one, following a suggestion from **Patch5129**, this will be a POV chapter. This isn't a full chapter, consider it, chapter 4.5, but just so I don't confuse anyone (namely myself) this will be chapter-5. I would like to point out a few things;

**First :** I have already started writing the next chapter, but the idea given to me by Patch5129 was just too good to pass up so it will be fitted in between Chapters 4&5

**Second : **If anyone has been reading the _reviews_ and the _author's notes_ from this fic you will know that I have borrowed an idea from the writer (or should I say 'brilliant writer') ChibifiedKitsunes, that idea will be in the next chapter, not this one (Sorry Chibi but your going to have to wait a little longer to find out which idea I borrowed)

**AkiaBinZaid - **I don't think I'll have a time jump but thank you for the idea

**AkiaBinZaid & Xoni Newcomer - **Did it really seem like their always eating? it wasn't something I meant to do, It just seemed natural. I mean, people gotta eat, right? Thanks for pointing this out though.

**Xoni Newcomer** - Thank you for pointing out my gramatical errors, Its not that I type very fast, its more that I'm a poor speller (LOL!) and sometimes I forget to spellcheck. I'm sorry that I use too many commas I hope it didn't affect your reading, I will attempt to cut back on how many I use. About Sasuke, I had to write him a bit out-of-character otherwise it would seem like he's an asshole which I don't want, otherwise how would I show him feeling remorcfull. The fic has bits of SasuSaku, so I have to make it seem like Sasuke does have a heart. A HUGE thanks to your suggestion, it solved a problem that I was having with an idea that I developed (well, it was really Danial's idea)

**Daniel of Lorien - **Thank you very much! Your idea is brilliant, I'll use it

**Soban - **'Thank' and 'You' are the first two words that come to _my_ mind. I'm glad you liked it

**Chibified kitsunes - **Thanks! I tried to be original for Kakashi's excuse. As for Hiashi, not once did he say he liked Naruto, for now he is just warming up to Hinata. Thank you so much for allowing me use of one of your ideas (Its a kinda small idea which I borrowed, but one which will really help the story, I thought it best to ask for your permission before somone accused me of stealing)

**KyLewin** - Thank you very much for taking the time to read AND reveiw _every_ chapter

Well without further ado...

**Out of Sight, Center of Mind**

Chapter five - Naruto's thoughts (POV Chapter)

It's late at night. I'm all curled up in my bed, awaiting the bliss provided by sleep. I can feel the soft, cotton bandages covering my eyes, I have to remind myself that the bandages are not the reason I cannot see. There is a light breeze coming in through my window and cooling me down, I can hear the beginings of a rain storm outside, I can hear faint droplets of water falling. I straighten out so I'm on my back. The covers of my bed lay around my waist as my head rests on the interlocked fingers of my hands, supported by the soft pillow. Every night, If I'm not exhausted from training, I adopt a similier postion and think about the day's events, my dreams for the future, my friends.

Today was a good day, I finally spoke with Sasuke and now everything is cool between us. Sasuke is really starting to break down the walls between us and himself. Ever since I brought him back to Konoha he has really begun to respect me, Sure, he tries to hide it by calling me an idiot, and by doing his unique "I'm better than you" laugh, well...more of a grunt, but despite this, he looks at me with respect, Sakura-chan aswell. I could see it in his eyes, before I lost the use of them, that he looked at Sakura-chan without giving her a cold comment on her performance as a ninja. Ofcourse...everytime he turns around and sees me, he denies it. I'm not exactly sure what he sees, he may see that she has imroved since the day of the survival training, the day we truely became a team. He may see that she would give her own life to protect someone she cares about. I sometimes think that _he_ is thinking of her as more than a teamate, more than a friend even...but then I snap back to reality, reminding myself that it was Sasuke I was thinking about. That guy has as much feeling for someone as a large rock...although...that 'rock' _does_ look at Sakura-chan a lot.

I wonder what Sakura-chan thinks, in all the time I've known her, I don't think I've ever noticed her to be less mindfull of Sasuke. She must truely love him, ever since we brought Sasuke back he hasn't been bothered by a single mindless fan-girl. I noticed this a week after I came back to active duty with my team. Before Sasuke went Power-mad, I always stayed a clean ten meters away from him because every time we came back from a mission, the fan-girls would appear as if from no where and dog-pile onto him, but after that, when we brought him out of his power-lust, A good eighty percent of all villigers looked down on him. Not us though, especially not Sakura-chan. She didn't care what Sasuke had tried to do, her love for him was true and pure, even I could see that. If I could see that then surely Sasuke could see it. Ever since I figured out Sakura-chan's feelings for Sasuke, and not for me, I was hurt, really hurt. In that moment I knew that I couldn't win Sakura-chan's heart and I never would. For a time I was feeling lost, It was as if I had lost the drive in my life and I was carrying on with momentum only, but even that was slowing down, it got so bad that I was even tempted to take my own life, and believe me when I say that the prospect of death was very tempting compared to a life time of loneliness. One night I had made up my mind, I couldn't take it any more. I wasn't angry at Sasuke and certainly not at Sakura-chan, I was angry at myself for liking Sakura-chan in the first place. Every time she gets the oppurtunity she openly declares her love for Sasuke, I just couldn't take a hint. That night, I decided that I would kill myself, then the pain would end. I picked out one kunai and left all of my other ninja equipment, I dressed in my cloathes and went for my last meal at the Ichiraku, afterwards I took one last walk around Konoha, one last look at the Hokage monument, one last moment spent at the training logs where I became a gennin. I finally arrived at the old ninja academy. The journey had begun here, it was fitting that it would end here. I took out my kunai, I brought it into contact with my wrist, I applyed as much pressure on it as possible, I closed my eyes and with one quick motion, I pulled the kunai down. It didn't hurt like I thought it would, I looked down on my wrist, I hadn't even broken the skin. I looked at the kunai, still in my left hand, confused I placed my thumb on the blade and dragged it up and down over and over again and all it gave me couldn't even be considered a paper cut. I smacked my forehead from my stupidity, I knew I shouldn't of used _that_ kunai. That particular one was my very first weapon, the very first one I ever used, it was the one I used to make the promise to protect the old man in the wave country, the one used to mark the tree when I was doing the chakra controll training where we had to climb the tree without the use of our arms, when we started Kakashi-sensei threw use one of his own kunai but later I brought out my own, special one, It had gone blunt with the countless times I had used it, the edges were almost rounded for goodness sakes. Fate wasn't on my side tonight. Seeing as the rest of my night was free, I decided to take yet another walk. I even saw Hinata-chan that night. I found her crying in an alley-way. Hinata-chan had always been kind to me, giving me ointment, giving me courage right before my fight with her cousin. So I decided to sit down and see what was wrong with her. She noticed my arrival and seemed to curl herself into a tight ball on the ground. I sat down in the dirt next to her and put an arm on her for comfort and asked her what was wrong, She pulled herself up of the ground into a sitting position but was still unable to talk. I understood, not _why_ she was crying but what she was feeling. Six years ago it would of been me crying my eyes out into the little hours of the morning. I told her what I wanted to hear those six years ago.

"Its not your fault"

She noticably calmed down and actually smiled at me, though a weak smile, it was a pure one. She mouthed a 'thank you' to me but she still didn't talk and a few tears remained on her cheeks. I helped her off the ground and walked her home. She didn't say one word to me but I understood. To this day I don't know why she was out at one-thirty in the morning crying. After I had walked her home I decided to go and give killing myself another try, untill I thought about Hinata-chan. If I didn't show up when I did, who knows what could of happend? And I never forgot the smile I recieved from the shy girl. I decided to post-pone my plans while I went home and slept. The next morning I woke up refreshed and happier than I had ever been. As if something had given a jump start to my life. I constantly think back to that night, if I hadn't seen Hinata-chan that night then I'd of probably killed myself after I found another kunai. I never did thank Hinata for that night even if she didn't mean to do anything, but still...she saved me from myself.

Every night I think about the cause of most of my problems...Kyuubi. I didn't ask for him to be sealed in me. Sometimes I feel like crying about the things that could of been if it weren't for the demon, sealed beneath my navel, but I bottle up this hurt and these feelings so I can hide my pain from the eyes of others. Sometimes I think about what my friends would say if I told them about Kyuubi, Would they accept me? would they hate me? Sooner or later the truth is going to come out, sooner or later I'm going to have to tell all of my friends that I harbour the demon that almost destroyed Konoha village and claimed the lives of many shinobi, some of which could of belonged to their family. But what will happen when the truth does come out? would they care? would they accept me for who I am? or will I be alone once again? I've gotten used to these thoughts but now I'm starting to think about what Hinata-chan would think. Maybe...I could tell her, but...what will happen if I do? what will she do? I wont risk it, at least...not yet.

Being blind is strangly comforting. Without my sight I can hear and smell things that I had never paid any attention to before. The running of water today at the bridge where Hinata-chan and I met up with Sasuke and Sakura-chan. Hinata-chan's voice is nice aswell, before, I had trouble hearing her but now its like I'm constantly listening for her. Most things that I hear sound nice, I can hear things that I usually ignore. This has it's downsides though, I can hear one of my next-door neighbors snoring quite loudly and I can hear the couple on the other side of my appartment doing...questionable things. But one of the strangest things is the rain. It's raining quite hard outside now, at least its not thunder and lightning, its a silly thing really, that I'm afraid of thunder and lightning. It happened a few years ago, before I found out about Kyuubi. I was walking home from the ninja academy, Iruka had tied me to a chair this time so I was unable to escape my detention, like the time when I scarper'd with Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba out the window before Iruka caught us. I was walking home and it was raining very hard, there was thunder and lightining, I was loving it, untill I was jumped by a group of guys, they called me a monster and beat the crap out of me, they ripped off my jacket, my shirt and my pants leaving only my boxers. I cried my eyes out from the pain, from the cold but most of all, from the fact that I had no idea why they did this. I had no idea about the Kyuubi at the time so I didn't know why an eight year old boy, coming home from a late night detention was so threatining to them. After the pain dulled from the cold, I picked myself up off the ground and continued home. I had lost a fair amount of blood through my nose and my eye not to mention I felt as if I had swallowed a snow man, whole. Of course, I was terrified to leave my appartment after that but I decided that I would have to, fortunatly, the nights rest had been enough to repair the phyisical damage but as for the mental damage...Since then I have always been slightly afraid of nights like that. I make sure that no one knows this, what's one more pain compared to the collection I already carry. I'm just thankfull it is not one of those nights tonight.

I can hear the rain very clearly, it is impacting off my window, the sounds are very hypnotic, A combination of wind and rain was making a beautifull sound. I wonder what is going to happen tomorrow. I pull up my cover to my neck as I am starting to feel a little chili. I listen to the sounds outside, I listen...I listen...I yawn...I listen again...I can feel sleep over-powering me. The world around me fades out...

Author's note: Written in five hours (two of which spent in the shower and eating) I decided to write this small chapter at the suggestion written in by Patch5129. Later, I might do one on Hinata. Anyway, like I said the next chapter is well underway but it probably wont be released for a while yet, as of now chapter six stands at 41kb in space. Remeber everyone, I'm open to suggestions, Please review.

Reviewers(in order)-**Nonengel**(4)**, Xoni Newcomer**(2)**, Wormkaizer, boredathome, Yondaime-samaKazaraYume**(2)**, AkiaBinZaid**(2)**, TimeShifter16**(2)**, Kawaii34girl, TomokiG, Crutches**(2)**, Apharmed, warkntye, NotasuSama, chibified kitsunes**(2)**, nArUtOhInAtAfOrEvEr, Daniel of Lorien, Soban, MajiShodaime, AkiaBinZaid, minimerc, KyLewin**(4)**, Patch5129**

Thank you all! (I hope you haven't fogotten that my birthday is in just over a month, 10th November, Be sure to give me a present LOL!)


	6. Sightless Sight

Author's note: Hey guys and girls, I got chapter six for you. A HUGE thanks to the reviewers, thanks to all of you, I've formed a few more ideas and situations for the story. It's going slow but at least its going. I'm so glad I haven't given up on this, usually I start something but forget about it when I find something good on TV.

I am feeling honored, this fic. Has been added to the KnH C2, imagine my surprise when I opened my email in the morning to find that out. Thanks to whomever on KnH did this.

I was rereading my previous chapters and I noticed some inconsistencies, these have been corrected.

**About the previous chapter:** Just incase there was any misunderstanding, the previous chapter, where Naruto was lying in bed thinking, was not a time jump, it was merely Naruto thinking about the past. It fits in after Hinata leaves Naruto for the night (Chapter4) and before the start of this chapter. The part about Hinata was a flashback to a few months before (When he could see)

**A quick question: **Today is the 10th, anyone know what is special about today?

**AkiaBinZaid - **I've explained what the situation was concerning the previous chapter. I'll try not to confuse you in the future

**Chibified Kitsunes** **-** You've waited long enough, your idea is in this chapter, it may not be as effective as when I read it in your fic. but it will still help the story (At the very least it'll make a few people go "awww") I didn't lift it directly out of your fic, I used the basic idea and went from there. Thanks again

**HinatasBiggestFanBoy - **Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I was going to use the "I got lost on the road of life" but I decided that it was just too cliché. Anyways thank you for reading

**minimerc - **Yes, poor naru-chan. Thank you for reviewing. "...help him 'appreciate' Hinata a lot more..." I liked your well placed quote marks

**lil uchiha bunny - **will he ever see again? well...you'll see (But will Naruto?)

**Crutches - **Thank you, I try to write as best I can

**S-Wanderer999 - **Oh I'm wayyy ahead of you on that, this is one of the reasons I borrowed **Chibi's **idea.

**Violentlycheerful** - Well, thank you for the birthday greeting. I like the emotion that is displayed in other stories so I thought I'd try my hand at writing some.

**Hisoka316 - **"... one of the very best fanfics...amazing job...love this fic..." Thank you soooo much, (Even if you are inflating my ego to monstrous proportions)

**Nonengel - **The second POV wont be for another chapter or two, glad to see you liked it (Because you were my first ever reader/reviewer)

**Boredathome - **The Hinata POV will happen at a different time to Naruto's, it will explain why she was out that night (If I think of a reason. At the time I wrote Naruto's, I didn't really think that far ahead)

**KyLewin - **As long as you liked it I don't mind which part in particular you liked most. I was planning on doing Hinata's side to the story when I do her POV chapter. Thank you

**Dargon Sheinto - **I'm glad you liked it (So far)

**moonspirit - **You're hooked are you? Wow, I never thought I would be able to get anyone 'hooked'. It's good that you like my story

**Magicians of the Yami - **of course I'll keep on going, and thank you too for the birthday greeting

**warprince2000 - **well since you asked so politely, I have updated. Enjoy

**nArUtOhInAtA fOrEvEr - **Yes, he got over Sakura (I wonder who he'll go for now?) Thank you, enjoy the chapter

**darkshaman817 - **Do you mean the naruhina in this fic. or naruhina in general. Anyway, in hindsight I probably should of put more thoughts about her in that chapter

**Overlord of DARKNESS - **10/10? Wow, thank you. You're wondering what Hinata was ready for? I might bring it out in the next chapter...might. And don't worry; I would never, EVER make either Naruto or Hinata die.

**randomreader( ) - **You haven't noticed any OOC? Okay, cool. It's just that one or two people had a problem with Sasuke displaying emotion in chapter four. Thank you, is "cute" the highest compliment you can give? or the highest one you can give to my fic. Either way, I'm glad you liked it

Well my beloved readers, here ya go, please read, review and suggest.

**Out of Sight, Center of Mind**

Chapter Six - Sightless Sight

Naruto stood in the dreamscape of his mind, before the great gates that symbolized the seal that held the nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi

"What the hell?! I can see?" Naruto exclaimed as he flexed his left hand in front of his face. For a moment Naruto was happy, but that soon faded as he could see where he was

"Hey! Stupid fox, Why'd you bring me here!?" Naruto shouted into the infinite darkness beyond the gates

"To talk, you stupid brat!" A loud, almost growling voice echoed from behind the gates. Naruto could also hear a sound of faint movement

"About?" Naruto asked as he folded his arms

"You tell me" Kyuubi said

"You called _me _here, I don't want to talk to you" Naruto replied

"Maybe you don't want to, but sooner or later you would've demanded answers. So I brought you here before you went and threw yourself off another cliff" Kyuubi said as he walked forward and lay down in front of the gates, the dim light reflecting his features. Minutes passed before Naruto asked the question

"Why aren't you healing me?" Naruto asked

"I am, but in order for me to completely heal the nerves in you eyes I would need to focas most of my chakra to them. While this would heal the nerve endings, your eyeballs would most-likely melt due to so much raw chakra, I figured you wouldn't really like that" Kyuubi responded

"Will my eyes ever heal?" Naruto asked, his tone of voice unchanged

"I'm a demon, not a doctor" Kyuubi said angrily. Naruto's hopes had hit the floor but they bounced back as he thought up an idea

"If my sight doesn't return, could you enhance my other senses?" Naruto asked "...if you can make me stronger by giving me chakra, then surely you could give me better senses. Kyuubi thought about it and answered

"Very well, just ask and your senses will improve" Kyuubi growled "...but your making it harder for yourself" he continued

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked feeling confused

"Chakra can be used for more than fighting and healing" Kyuubi said cryptically

"...?" Naruto didn't look less confused. He could see Kyuubi roll his eyes

"There are ways in which ninjas can release their chakra in controlled amounts and actually feel the shape of an object and given enough practice, more complex things. I've never had to do this myself so I can't give you exact information, nor can I instruct you on how to do it" Kyuubi said

"Uhm, okay...thanks" Naruto said, trying to sound grateful, or at least, make it seem like he understood

"Just...don't get yourself killed" Kyuubi said as he wandered back into the empty darkness "...go back to sleep, it'll be a long day" the fox suggested as he disappeared completely into the darkness

"Catch ya later..." Naruto called out "...STUPID FOX!" Naruto shouted as the world around him faded into the darkness.

"N...ra...un" Naruto could hear a voice, fading in and out in the darkness of his unconscious state

"Narat...un" He heard the voice again slightly clearer, he felt a weight on his shoulder along with the voice. Suddenly he felt like he was falling, but abruptly stopped.

"Naruto-kun" He heard the voice loud and clearly now

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto said as he fully awoke and submitted to a yawn

"Good morning, Naruto-kun" Hinata greeted

"Morning" Naruto said as he sat up in his bed, while he rubbed the back of his neck

"I came by earlier but you were sound asleep so I waited around. I decided to wake you up now because it's now a little past eleven and I guessed you wouldn't like to oversleep" Hinata explained as she gathered some of Naruto's clean clothes and gave them to him

"Thanks, Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he accepted his clothes

"I'll be waiting outside" Hinata said before she left Naruto's room. Hinata walked out of the room and closed the door, allowing Naruto some privacy. She walked into Naruto's kitchen and sat down at the table. She finished the glass of water that she had helped herself to earlier. Once she had finished it she laid her head on her hands and thought about her decision to her father the previous night.

Naruto was becoming quite skilled at dressing himself sightless. Although he still had trouble with what way around his clothes went, it took him less time than before. After he had placed his forehead protector over his eyes and Tsunade's necklace around his neck he made his way toward the door, he didn't hit anything this time, probably because he had knocked everything out the way the previous morning when he had to make his mad-dash to the toilet. He placed his hand on the door handle and prepared himself incase Hinata was leaning against it like the previous morning. He opened the door and when nothing fell on him, he decided it was safe to walk forward. As Naruto walked out of his bedroom Hinata stood and faced him

"Would you like some breakfast this morning, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked kindly

"Mmm...No thanks, Hinata-chan. For once I'm not hungry" Naruto said as he walked forward, he was starting to build a mental map of where everything was in his apartment

"Okay then. I was wondering, Naruto-kun, If you would like to go to the Hyuuga estate today, unless you have something else you wish to do" Hinata suggested. Naruto thought about it

"Nope, I can't think of anything else I want to do. Sounds like fun" Naruto smiled. Hinata smiled to herself and reached out to place Naruto's hand on her arm

"Hold on Hinata-chan, I need to use the bathroom first, I'll meet you outside, 'kay?" Naruto said

"Of course Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she let go of Naruto and walked out the door. Once Hinata had left, Naruto casually walked into the bathroom and quickly relieved himself. Naruto washed his hands and went outside to meet Hinata.

Hinata had been waiting patiently for Naruto outside, while leaning on the wall beside the door. Once again she found her thoughts wandering back to her talk with Neji and then to her father

_'Did I make the right choice. Maybe I should ask Naruto-kun. No, this was and is my decision and no one else's.' _Hinata pondered to herself. Before too long Naruto emerged from his apartment

"Ready to go, Naruto-kun?" Hinata pushed herself up from the wall and once again placed Naruto's hand on her arm

"Lead on, Hinata-chan" Naruto said as he pumped his left fist into the air while the right held onto Hinata. Once they had made it to the ground floor, they started walking to the Hyuuga estate. As they were walking, Hinata readied herself to ask a question that had been bothering her

"Naruto-kun? Who is the _'Stupid fox'_?" Hinata asked curious. From Hinata's perspective, Naruto had turned sheet white and his breathing quickened

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked trying in vain to avoid the question

"Earlier, when I came over, while you were still asleep, you were mumbling something in your sleep, then you clearly said 'Stupid fox'. What did you mean by it?" Hinata asked, completely confused about why Naruto would say something like that in his sleep. Naruto turned even paler; it looked like he didn't have a single blood cell in his face

_'CRAP! She heard me when I was talking with Kyuubi! This could be bad. If she finds out and she reacts badly, then she would probably tell Sakura-chan and Ino and in turn, they would tell everyone else in the village. I would lose all respect. Things would go back to how they were before. I cant tell her the truth, at least...not yet' _Naruto thought, he realized he was keeping Hinata waiting

"I...I was having a dream about...a fox, It was talking to me, as it was walking away...I called it 'Stupid' I don't know why, I just did" Naruto inwardly applauded himself he left out having to explain about Kyuubi and he didn't lie to Hinata

"Oh, okay then" Hinata said

_'That doesn't sound right, that seemed like a...patched together story, He may not have been lying but I'm sure he was leaving something out. If he doesn't wish to talk about it then I wont force it out, If he wants to, then he'll tell me' _Hinata thought as she prepared to guide Naruto through an oncoming crowd of people

"There are some people coming this way Naruto-kun, I'll guide you through them just don't rush and stay close to me" Hinata warned Naruto as she brought her left arm inward, bringing Naruto closer. It wasn't until there bodies were in contact that Hinata had realized what she had done, She blushed bright red and looked away from Naruto. Fortunately for Naruto she did, otherwise she would have seen a blush on his face as well. As her blush subsided and she got used to the contact she began to slowly walk forward, guiding Naruto through the crowd. They passed a pair of men. Hinata wasn't sure if they were ninjas or not because they weren't wearing their headbands. She noticed that they were staring at Naruto, then they gave each other a knowing grin and instantly started to walk, past them and away through the crowd. Hinata noted to herself that the actions of those two men were unusual but decided not to dwell on the subject. Soon enough they emerged from the crowd almost untouched, it was almost as if the crowd parted when Naruto approached. As they left the crowd behind, Hinata turned to Naruto

"Naruto-kun, over the past couple of days I've noticed that people treat you badly. First was that nurse, but I just thought that she was a particularly bad nurse. Later, on our way to the ramen stand, I saw the looks a few passer byers have given you. And just now a few people in that crowd gave you a particularly spiteful look, Why is this?" Hinata asked. Naruto sighed deeply

"Hinata-chan, there are some things...some things which I keep to myself, some things which I _need_ to keep to myself, all you need to know is that...I was alone" Naruto said sadly

"...but not anymore" Naruto continued, brightening up

"Okay Naruto-kun, but sometimes it really helps to talk to someone, think about it" Hinata said as she placed a comforting hand on Naruto's. The two walked in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes, until Hinata turned and guided Naruto to go down a main road towards a large estate on the outskirts of the village

"We're almost there Naruto-kun" Hinata said

"Great, its just too bad I can't see where you live" Naruto didn't know if he was complaining or making a joke. Hinata stayed quiet because she wasn't sure either and she didn't want to accidentally make him feel bad

"So, what is there to do at the Hyuuga estate?" Naruto asked curious

"There are a few things we can do. The gardens are among the finest in all of Konoha, even if you cannot see them, the smell of the flowers alone makes you feel so happy and content, regardless of how you are feeling at the time. I often go there after a long day of training, or before...when my family gave me looks of disappointment and disgust" Hinata said sadly

"Before when?" Naruto asked

"Before the chuunin exams, when I hardly did anything but stand around. And before a couple of days ago, before I started helping you, before that...I had almost no focus in my life, nothing to keep me going" Hinata said, wiping away a lone tear that was building up in her eye as she remembered what things were like before

"You have defiantly changed, Hinata-chan, don't ever let anyone tell you any different" Naruto said happily

_'He thinks I've changed, that means more coming from him than anyone else, I knew I had changed and now Naruto-kun thinks it as well'_ Hinata squealed happily in thought

"Thank you, Naruto-kun" Hinata said her voice soaked in gratitude

"What else is there to do?" Naruto asked unaware of exactly how happy he had actually made Hinata. The main gates of the estate were only a few yards ahead

"There are training gyms. Small rooms that we go to read and listen to music and a library which rivals that at the village head quarters" Hinata explained

"Library? I don't think we'll need to go there" Naruto joked. Hinata looked to Naruto in fear that she had inadvertently insulted him but when she saw the mile-wide grin on his face she breathed a sigh of relief

"It could be helpful, Naruto-kun, I mean, you can't have been the only blind ninja in the history of the five great countries, surely there could be something that could be of help" Hinata said hopefully

"You could be right, I should really stop to think about things before I act...If I did, then I would still be able to see" Naruto said grimly. Hinata noticed this, it reminded her of herself, when _she_ would wonder 'what-if'? It took her a while to realize that it only makes things seem more painful when she did this

"Naruto-kun, you must never think like that, you may be right, but think of it like this, IF Neji-nii-san had aimed slightly to my left in the chuunin exams, he would of hit my heart straight on and I would be dead by now" Hinata explained

_'I could of used a better comparison, I may only make him feel worse'_ Hinata thought

"Your right, as always" Naruto said, moments before he tripped on a ledge of some sort, Hinata acted quickly to prevent Naruto from cracking his skull open on the stone steps lead up to the front door of the Hyuuga main house, she grabbed Naruto around the waist with her free hand and inter-locked her other arm with his and put out her foot to brace herself against the steps. Naruto's head had stopped just above the edge of the step, Hinata had succeeded

"Are...are y-you alright, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked concerned and breathing heavily

"F-fine" Naruto said a bit shaken and breathing just as much as Hinata. Hinata gently lowered Naruto on to the steps while he supported himself with his free hand. Once Naruto had recovered and got back to his feet, Naruto shakily reached out his arm to Hinata

"That...was close" Naruto said, his breathing returning to normal

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun" Hinata apologized

"What for?" Naruto asked not sure why Hinata was blaming herself

"I should of told you about the steps, but I didn't, what if I had gotten you hurt" Hinata was ready to break down into tears

"But you didn't get me hurt, and you even stopped me from falling, besides, its not like you meant it" Naruto said trying to cheer Hinata up

"You just said yourself that you shouldn't live life 'what if?' " Naruto continued. Hinata smiled softly at Naruto's uncanny ability to make her feel better

"Shall we go? No sense in hanging around outside" Naruto said taking hold of Hinata's arm

"There are a few steps, so be careful" Hinata warned this time, as she carefully guided Naruto up the steps. Hinata approached the large doors with Naruto by her side. Using her free hand, she turned the handle of one of the doors and opened it. Once the door was sufficiently open, Hinata guided Naruto through into the house and closed the door behind them.

"What would you like to do first, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as they stood at an intersection of corridors

"We could go to the library first, if there's something that could help me, then we might as well check it out" Naruto suggested

"Uhm, okay" Hinata got the feeling that Naruto had no idea of exactly how big the library was, even after she had explained it. They started off down a long series of corridors with many more doors on either side, which were used for either storage, bathrooms and servants quarters

"Cool! I can hear people" Naruto said, straining his ears

"Excuse me?" Hinata asked confused by what Naruto said

"My hearing is improving. If I concentrate hard enough, then I can actually hear echoes of people down these corridors. And not just people, I can hear the wind and the birds outside and the sounds made by the floorboards as we walk over them" Naruto explained

"I never could of imagined that being sightless could be so...centering" Hinata knew that he didn't mean to use that word but she understood what he meant. Hinata recalled to when she would stand at her window and listen to the wind, she knew almost exactly what he was feeling when he described how well he could hear

"The library is just up ahead Naruto-kun" Hinata said

"What kind of stuff is in this library?" Naruto asked, truth be told, he had rarely gone to a library, he went once when he was little but was thrown out because of who and what he was

"Most kinds of 'stuff', technique scrolls, Konoha history logs, reference books, family lines and story books. The Hyuuga also stand guardian to some very powerful forbidden scrolls, these are all hidden away behind sealed, hidden doors somewhere in the estate, not even the all seeing eyes of the Hyuuga can see" Hinata explained, a part of her sounded like a tour guide and another sounded like her father, she let escape a giggle as she thought about a mixture of the two, her father leading people around historical monuments explaining how they were constructed, answering questions posed by tourists and telling little children to stay away from the exhibits.

"What? What's so funny?" Naruto asked excitedly. Hinata decided that she wouldn't explain exactly what she was thinking, out of respect for her father

"Uhmm...nothing" Hinata said, now fully under control of her giggles. Naruto let it by.

"Technique scrolls you say?" Naruto said breaking out into an incredible grin. As Hinata saw the grin, she could almost feel all her worries melt away, but decided that she should burst Naruto's bubble before it got too big

"Only high ranking Hyuuga are permitted to remove those scrolls and like I said, they are sealed away. Besides that, we're not here to study new jutsu" Hinata explained. She could hear Naruto let out a sigh

"Right...so, exactly what are we looking for?" Naruto asked, he was still unsure of what help they could find in a library

"I remember a while ago when I was looking for a certain book to read, when I stumbled across a scroll, I accidentally knocked it off the shelf. It was titled _'Blind Ninjas' or something like that"_ Hinata explained

"I was thinking that we should go get that scroll and look through it, to see if there is anything that you could use" Hinata said as she reached out and opened the large door to the library

"Blind Ninjas? Sounds like the name of some story" Naruto said doubtfully. The large doors silently opened and they walked through, Hinata noiselessly pushed the door back and let it swing closed

"It wasn't a story, It was a scroll that was once used to teach handicapped ninjas so they could live on with their lives as ninjas" Hinata said to Naruto. A large crash sounded behind them from the massive doors, and as loud as the crash was, it was nothing compared to the resulting echoes that resonated off the walls of the massive library which they stood in

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Naruto asked as he instinctively hugged Hinata's arm to himself in shock. Hinata was in a severe blushing state as she felt Naruto cling to her, inwardly she scolded herself for not warning Naruto about the loud noise made from the doors and the even greater echoes that are made as a result

"That w-was the door closing, Naruto-kun" Hinata said

"Then what was the loud sound after that, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, seemingly unaware that he was firmly gripping Hinata's arm to himself

"Th-that was the echo" Hinata said, still blushing profusely

"Echo? I've never heard an echo like that" Naruto was astonished

"Naruto-kun, it was so loud because of the size of the library and the marble walls, the entire library acts like an echo chamber, why do you think that you're meant to keep quiet in libraries?" Hinata explained

"How big is this library?" Naruto was beginning to regain his breath

"Its five stories high and about twenty meters in diameter, we're on the third story, everything underneath us is underground" Hinata explained to Naruto

"I'd hate to have to sort all the books here into alphabetical order, it would take forever" Naruto said, recovering from the shock. Hinata giggled at Naruto's remark

"To completely order every book and scroll takes twenty-six people, a couple of days" Hinata said, Naruto was at a loss for words

"This way, Naruto-kun" Hinata started walking forward

"Hang on..." Naruto said suddenly finding his words "...If this place is so big, then how do you know where everything is" Naruto asked

"Its quite simple for us" Hinata said as she brought Naruto to a halt, she joined her hands together, interlocking her fingers with her right index finger pointed upward

"What do you mean, '_us'_?" Naruto was unsure of what to make of Hinata's words

"Byakugan!" Hinata said calmly but firmly as her bloodline limit activated. Naruto thought Hinata was annoyed at him, from the way she just spoke, for he didn't know what Hinata had just done

"Sorry" Naruto said unwanting to annoy Hinata. Hinata realized why Naruto had apologized, and blushed very slightly in embarrassment

"Naruto-kun, I just activated my Byakugan" Hinata said as she scanned the entire library

"Oh, right...why?" Naruto cocked his head in a questioning manner. Hinata fought against the urge to roll her eyes and answered

"The Hyuuga's blood limit allow us to see everything in a range. Using my Byakugan, I can see every book and scroll in the library which does not have a seal on it" Hinata explained as she caught sight of the scroll in question and started to guide Naruto toward one of the staircases at the side of the library. Realization finally dawned on to Naruto as he remembered Kakashi, Sakura and Lee all _trying_ to explain the uses and effects of the Hyuuga's blood limit

"So your using your...eye-thingy to find the scroll" Naruto pieced together

"Y-yes" Hinata was unsure as to how Naruto had just referred to her bloodline but decided against saying anything for it might remind Naruto of his own eyes.

"I think I understand now" Naruto said triumphantly. No other words passed between them as they began to slowly descend down the stairs.

After many steps and more than a few slips on Naruto's behalf, they stepped onto the first story and slowly walked toward one of the many bookshelves. Hinata stopped in front of one somewhat large bookshelf, which was easily three times the size of either Naruto or Hinata.

"It should be somewhere in these shelves, Naruto-kun. But I'll be needing my arm" Hinata said, needing her arm so she could climb the bookcase mounted ladder find the scroll.

"Sure, just say if you need any help" Naruto said as he released Hinata's arm. Hinata smiled at his offer before setting her sights on the collection of books in front of them. Hinata reasoned that she would need her bloodline again to help her again

"Byakugan!" Hinata said once again before the chakra filled her eyes, activating her enhanced eyesight. No sooner than she had activated her Byakugan she deactivated it having found the scroll in question. Unfortunately it happened to be on the top shelf and the last time she had climbed to the top of one of these bookcases she had fallen off one of the ladders used to reach the top and had only succeeded in breaking her arm. Since then, she had grown a fear of heights, although she didn't feel afraid if she had a wide base to stand upon and freedom to move, like on the branch of a tree, or a roof-top, but when she didn't have this, like say on a ladder, she felt really uncomfortable. A stray thought surfaced in her mind to ask Naruto to get the scroll but quickly discarded it as she realized how dangerous that could be. Swallowing her fear Hinata slid the ladder into the appropriate position and locked the wheels in place to ensure she wouldn't roll away as she climbed. Hinata began to climb the ladder as quickly but as carefully as possibly. As she got higher and higher she began to feel very !" Hinata was beginning to feel the effects of vertigo as she clinged onto the ladder with one hand and onto the bookshelf with her other managing to knock a few books off of them

"What is it Hinata-chan!?" Naruto asked concerned

"please...h-help" Hinata whispered feeling very scared. Naruto was at a loss of what to do. Until he remembered his deal with Kyuubi earlier. Naruto closed his eyes and focused his mind

_'STUPID FOX! Enhance my senses' _Naruto near enough screamed in his mind. He heard the faint snort that only belonged to the demon fox

_'I was wondering when you would need me. I hope you're ready for this' Kyuubi_ said as he began focusing his chakra into his sensory organs, increasing their effectiveness by many times. The sudden burst of awareness hit Naruto like a wave of adrenaline. Using his hearing and her smell, Naruto sensed exactly where Hinata was. He reached out his hand and placed it on the ladder. He could feel every groove and every grain of the wooden ladder as he placed his other hand on the ladder and began to climb. Hinata remained unmoving with her eyes firmly clamped shut, wishing that it was all a bad dream

"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'm coming for you, just hang on" Naruto assured her. From hearing her sobs and using his enhanced scent, Naruto reached Hinata and placed a hand on her back as he stepped off the ladder onto the bookshelves using them to bring himself up beside her

"Hinata-chan? I'm here, don't be afraid. Here, just hold on to me" Naruto said as he rubbed Hinata's back. Feeling his hand on her back, Hinata willed herself to open one eye, to see Naruto's ever-lovable face, minus his eyes. Taking his advice and trusting him completely she reached out and snaked her left arm across his shoulder in a sort of half-hug. Naruto edged himself closer and placed a foot on the ladder rung below the one that Hinata was standing on. Tightening her grip with her left arm, she put her other arm around Naruto, completing the awkward hug. Naruto was going very red in the face, as his enhanced scent was taking in Hinata's smell. It was very, very sweet. Naruto cursed the currant situation since he couldn't stay and indulge himself in the scent for any longer. Naruto scolded himself for thinking such things when Hinata was in danger. With Hinata firmly around his neck Naruto began to awkwardly climb down the ladder, Hinata tightened her grip on Naruto with every jolt from stepping down onto the next rung. After an eternity for Hinata, the pair of them stepped onto the solid ground, Hinata still held onto Naruto, although she seemed a lot more relaxed now that they were on the ground. Suddenly Naruto felt very disoriented, having to take a step to stop himself from falling over. The world around him seemed to be quieter; he was having trouble hearing anything. Naruto figured that his hearing had returned to normal, along with his other senses.

"I'm sorry N-Naruto-kun" Hinata apologized, loosening her grip on Naruto "I should of told you that I was uncomfortable with heights" Hinata said

"Don't worry about it, you're fine now, that's all that matters." Naruto smiled. Hinata brought her arms down from Naruto's shoulders, she still felt a bit shaken, but she felt strong enough to continue.

"I suppose it would be stupid of me to ask you to go back up there to get the scroll" Naruto joked

"A-actually, N-Naruto-kun, I must have knocked the scroll of one of the shelves when I-I was up there because there it is on the ground" Hinata said her voice was slightly nervous but it was understandable. On the floor was the scroll that they were looking for, Hinata knocked it off when she grabbed onto the bookcase for support

"Oh, that's lucky!" Naruto smiled widely. Hinata smiled slightly as well as she bent down to pick up the scroll

"Can we maybe go somewhere else, I don't feel comfortable in here" Hinata said as she clutched the medium sized scroll to herself

"Sure, where do you want to go" Naruto asked. Hinata thought about it, she was going to suggest the gardens but Naruto was going to want to know what was in the scroll, so she settled with one of the small reading rooms instead.

"This way, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she placed Naruto's hand on her arm while supporting the scroll with her other. Hinata began to walk forward toward the stairs. Because they were traveling upward the trip did not take as long as the first time, Naruto could feel where the next step started when his foot bumped into it. Soon enough they stepped off onto the third-floor and headed toward the large doors. As Naruto heard the doors open he braced himself for the large sound of when they close. Hinata felt Naruto tense up, but she remembered that she did the same thing on her first visit. The doors shut behind them but not as loud as the first time because they were outside the Library. They stepped out into the intersection of corridors and started off down one to the smaller rooms near the library.

Because it was only a short way from the library to the reading rooms it didn't take them long to get to there. Hinata pushed the door open and led Naruto inside and let the door shut under it's own weight. It was a small room but enough for some quiet reading. In the room was a few pieces of furniture; a few armchairs, a couch and a small table to which all the furniture faced. Hinata guided Naruto to the couch and both sat down, while Hinata set the scroll on the table, which was perfectly placed to capture the afternoon sun as it shown in through the high windows.

"Are you comfortable, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked breaking the near endless silence between the two.

"I'm fine thanks, this seat is very comfy" Naruto said as he gently bounced on the leather cushion to test the softness. Hinata smiled as she undid the binder that held together the scroll. Once it was out of the way, she un-rolled it out onto the table. Hearing the scroll open, Naruto was eager to hear what it read

"Anything of use, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata had not finished reading the first section yet

"Not yet, Naruto-kun. Please be patient" Hinata asked as she finished reading the introduction "From what I've read, the scroll could be helpful. The beginning says that this scroll can be used to teach a blind person how to function without their eyes" Hinata said as she unrolled the scroll further

_'I find it extremely ironic that there would be a scroll made for a blind person, how would he be able to read it?' _Hinata mentally questioned as she continued on to the second section

"The second section explains that you should train your own senses to fill in for your sight" Hinata summarized

"We've already covered that with the training we did the other night" Naruto said, unaware of how questionable that could of sounded to someone else

"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata remembered back to the late afternoon where they trained Naruto's hearing. She unrolled the scroll fully, revealing the third and final sections of the scroll. Hinata read the first few lines

"This could be of help to you Naruto-kun" Hinata said "This section had details on chakra use for some kind of...extra sensory perception" Hinata explained

"Cool. What do I do?" Naruto said, his attention now focused on Hinata. Hinata read through the first and second paragraphs in the third section.

"If you release your chakra in controlled, limited amounts then you should be able to feel an objects shape" Hinata said, Naruto remembered his earlier talks with Kyuubi

"Yeah? How do I do that, then?" Naruto asked. Hinata read the section over and took out a kunai and carefully placed it on the table, fearing she may scratch the surface

"Hold out your hand" Hinata said. Naruto heard Hinata pull out the kunai, he was slightly confused but not uncomfortable for he trusted her. He held out his hand as he was asked. Hinata placed her hand on his wrist and brought it just above the kunai on the table. Referring back to the scroll, she read what to do next

"Concentrate, move some chakra into your hand..." Hinata waited for Naruto to do this

"Right" Naruto said as he pushed some chakra into his hand

"...and carefully release some of it from your palm, but not all of it" Hinata instructed. Naruto did this but didn't feel any different

"Concentrate on the chakra being released but don't forget about the chakra in you hand" After a few minutes of skull cracking concentration Naruto stopped releasing chakra

"That...was weird" Naruto said, relaxing his hand

"What did you feel, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked curious

"It's hard to describe, it's like...feeling something so...so...that you can almost see it in your mind." Naruto struggled with trying to find words. Hinata half understood

"Why don't you try it, Hinata-chan, then you could help me" Naruto suggested. Hinata thought about it, and decided 'why not?' Without another word Hinata mimicked Naruto's actions and closed her eyes, she followed the instructions she had just given to Naruto and started to release the necessary chakra. Being a member of the Hyuuga, this was no difficult task for her. Although Naruto didn't explain it very well to her, Hinata had a vague idea of what to expect but she felt nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing to what Naruto explained

"I cant feel anything" Hinata said as she quickly read the scroll again "Here it says that the scroll as for the blind, but I can see, maybe it has something to do with that" Hinata suggested

"Your probably right, shame you can't use it as well, though. Would have made this a lot easier" Naruto said

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun" Hinata felt sad that she couldn't help Naruto

"Don't be, its not like you _don't_ want to help me, right?" Naruto smiled. Hinata smiled faintly back

"Right" Hinata said quietly, but thankfully

"You know, Hinata, You don't have to stay here if you have something else to do, I'll be fine" Naruto said as he placed his hand over the kunai on the table. Hinata was about to decline before she remembered something

"Are you sure Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked

"Sure! I don't mind" Naruto said as he began to release his chakra. Hinata smiled at how helpful and kind Naruto was

"O-okay. I'll try not to be long" Hinata said after she had risen to her feet

"Take your time" Naruto said, struggling to concentrate. Hinata took one last look at Naruto before she walked out the room to find her father.

Naruto was finding his currant task very difficult. He could control and maintain his chakra flow quite well, but his problem was interpreting what he felt after he had released the chakra. He could feel the flat surface of the table and the position of the kunai, although he couldn't feel its exact shape. It was like trying to feel something underneath the thick duvet of your bed; you can feel where it is but not what shape or exactly how big it is.

"This could be difficult. Man, I hate being blind" he said to himself. A thought occurred to him to ask Kyuubi for help but remembered once again to his earlier discussion with the fox

_"...I can't give you exact information, nor can I instruct you on how to do it"_ was what the fox said to him. Naruto sighed in realization that he would have to do it the hard way.

_'Maybe if I try to move my hand as I release the chakra' _Naruto thought. This time when he released his chakra he moved his hand in a circular motion, spreading his chakra around on the kunai. What he felt was different; he got a clearer 'feeling' this time. Naruto smiled to himself at his minor victory.

_'This is a good technique but it doesn't seem like something I can use in day-to-day life. The scroll probably says something about it, I guess I'll have to make do without Hinata-chan for the time-being'_ Naruto thought to himself. Naruto was thinking about ways around this problem. It finally occurred to him when he thought back to his Rasengan training and his unique method for forming the stage-one Rasengan. He didn't move the chakra directly but instead moved his hands to form the swirling movement. His currant situation seemed to be the opposite

_'Maybe, instead of moving my hands I could try moving my chakra like how I was meant to in the Rasengan, that way, I could master the rasengan as well' _Naruto thought. Naruto attempted this, trying to move his chakra as it was released and keeping his hand still, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than he first thought. Over and over he tried but nothing happened. Naruto was now very close to ripping out his hair in frustration. Unknown to Naruto, across from him, sitting on one of the armchairs, sat Neji, watching Naruto. Neji had seen Naruto arrive with Hinata while he was practicing his Byakugan, wanting to know what they were doing, Neji followed them. When they were in the library Neji stood watching them, although this was a bit difficult, seeing as Hinata used her Byakugan. Neji had to jump atop one of the bookcases to get in her blind spot and prevent her from seeing him. And when Hinata was on the ladder, Neji was about to jump to save her until he felt a familiar chakra spike coming from Naruto, although it was no where near the strength of that at the chuunin exams, but it was still detectable to Neji. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Neji waited to see what Naruto was about to do. Needless to say, he found it curious that a sightless Naruto, of all people could save Hinata from a potentially dangerous fall.

Neji had silently entered the room shortly after Hinata had left, and sat down and watched in half-amusement, half-fascination as Naruto attempted to 'feel' the kunai lying on the table. Time and time again Naruto was unable to move his chakra after he had released it. Neji silently peered over at the scroll lying on the table, reading it over in a short time. The final step the scroll taught was releasing a wave of chakra from the entire body and feeling everything in a small radius. Neji doubted that Naruto could do that, the only ones that Neji believed could do that were the Hyuuga, for they had mastered chakra control at a young age. Neji shook his head at what Naruto was trying to do. Unfortunately for Neji, the rapid movement of his head caused sound to be released, which was marginally above the hearing threshold of Naruto's trained ears

"Who's there?" Naruto felt uncomfortable that someone of been sitting there with him without him noticing. For a moment Naruto thought that Hinata might of returned, but realized that he would have heard the door open and close and Hinata surely would of greeted him by now.

"...looks like your having trouble" Neji said. Naruto was startled by the voice

_'That voice sounds familiar. Oh no...Neji'_ Naruto figured out who's voice it was, he was not in the mood to listen to Neji drone on about how he didn't think Naruto was capable of doing the technique on the scroll

"Hey Neji" Naruto greeted, feeling a little tense but didn't feel the need to pick up the kunai lying on the table, for defense

"Naruto" Neji said simply. Naruto was confused as to why Neji, of all Hyuuga would come and visit him

"Can I...help you?" Naruto asked, trying to find out why Neji would be there

"...no" Neji said simply. Naruto was mentally ripping his hair out

"Then why are you here?" Naruto asked directly

"I was curious" Neji said. Naruto could tell that he wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him so returned to his currant task. Naruto once again began to release chakra from his hand

"You know...I wouldn't complain if you were to give me a helpful hint" Naruto said. Although he was a proud person, Naruto realised that he would need help with this, so Naruto batted down his pride and indirectly asked for help. One phrase kept on running through his head before he asked

_'It takes the bigger man to admit he needs help, it takes the bigger man to admit he needs help...' _Naruto kept on thinking to himself. He could hear Neji give a grunt

"What makes you think that I can help you" Neji asked. Naruto thought back to the chuunin exams

"The Hyuuga are masters of chakra control, right? And since I'm trying to release _chakra _to try and feel this kunai, I thought that you could help me" Naruto said. Neji didn't feel like helping Naruto but he decided that it would be 'payment' for saving Hinata in the library

"I wont repeat myself so listen. There are eight chakra points in the palm of your hand, instead of releasing chakra from all eight at once, try and release chakra from one or two at a time, so it makes a wave of chakra" Neji said as he got up and left. Naruto thought it over; it seemed like a reasonable suggestion. Naruto attempted to release chakra from his hand in the way that Neji suggested. But he found it to be easier said than done. After a dozen more tries, Naruto was barely able to release chakra from one half of his hand at a time, it required a lot of concentration and an exert of chakra control much higher than he ever needed to use, but what he felt was more detailed than before. Ignoring the pain from the chakra strain in his hand Naruto proceeded to try and perfect this technique.

After Hinata left Naruto to himself, she went to look for her father. As she walked down the corridors, towards her father's study, Hinata began to feel very nervous. In her life Hinata was always on the edge of nervousness and today was no exception, Hinata could feel that her legs were slowing down and her arms tensing up. Hinata tried to move faster but her unconscious mind was telling her body to slow down

_'I need to do this, so I can prove to everyone that I am not a failure' _Hinata thought to herself, willing herself to move forward. Her father's study was just ahead. Hinata's hands once again began to shake as she carefully raised her hand and placed it on the handle to the door and was about to knock with the other.

"Come in" Hinata jumped at hearing her father's voice from inside the room, she hadn't even knocked yet. Taking a deep breath, Hinata pushed the door open and walked in.

"Welcome Hinata, please, have a seat" Hiashi said as he was signing a few scrolls. Hinata did as she was requested and sat down in the chair directly opposite Hiashi

"I've come t-to find out about my t-training" Hinata said, she tried hard not to stutter but her father had always been an intimidating person in her life and it was hard for her to be completely comfortable around him. After hearing what his daughter wanted, Hiashi looked up from the scrolls

"It has been arranged, one of the elders shall train you. Listen to him Hinata, he was the one who trained me." Hiashi said as he picked up a small scroll from an ordered pile on the desk and placed it on the edge of the desk nearest Hinata

"That scroll will teach you the basics of what you need to know, read through it and make sure you understand it" Hiashi said as he turned his attention back to his work

"When do I t-train?" Hinata asked as she picked up the scroll and put it in her coat pocket

"At your earliest convenience, I have informed your new teacher that you will be aiding that Naruto boy" Hiashi said with an almost undetectable degree of spite at _his_ name

"Y-yes father" Hinata said before bowing and exiting the study. Once she was clear of her father's study Hinata immediately relaxed, but she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous of her training in the near future.

_'I should get back and see how Naruto-kun is doing' _Hinata thought to herself as she made her way to the room where Naruto was in. On her way she passed Neji

"Hello Neji-nii-san" Hinata greeted as he passed

"Hinata-sama" Neji acknowledged "...I have helped Naruto with the scroll" Neji said, stopping to talk to Hinata. Hinata was very surprised that Neji of all people would help Naruto

"Why?" Hinata blurted out without really thinking. Neji was slightly surprised at the usually quiet girl's outburst but he didn't show it

"He seemed to be having trouble" Neji said. "...just try to get him to stop practicing the scroll before he damages his hand from excessive chakra use" he warned

"I will" Hinata said "...good day, Neji-nii-san" Hinata bowed before walking away down the corridor. Neji simply nodded to her before walking in the opposite direction.

After a quick walk through the corridors of the Hyuuga estate, Hinata arrived back at the room where she had left Naruto. Not too loudly and not too quietly Hinata opened the door, so to signify to Naruto that she was there but not to startle him.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, relaxing his hand so he could talk to the new arrival

"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she sat down in the seat opposite Naruto, the one that Neji sat in.

"I can do it, I can actually feel the kunai now" Naruto said excitedly

"How did you manage to do it Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, happy that Naruto was able to do it

"I was having some trouble at first, but then Neji came by and gave me a few pointers. After he left I was able to train my chakra control and now I'm able to release my chakra in such a way that I can feel every detail of the kunai" Naruto explained happily. Hinata was surprised that Naruto was able to learn it so fast.

"You can feel the _exact_ shape of the kunai?" Hinata asked

"Yes, and the way I feel it, I can almost see it in my mind" Naruto said, his voice full of pride. Hinata looked over at the last section of the scroll, to see if this was what was meant to happen.

"The scroll says that if you can master this, and if a completely blind ninja uses this skill, your mind actually gets tricked and you think you can see the object" Hinata said, scanning the scroll once again

"Cool" Naruto said. Hinata read the final part of the scroll

"Naruto-kun, the last part of the scroll says that you have to release chakra from every chakra hole in your body, so you can feel everything around you, like you have just done with the kunai" Hinata explained. Naruto sighed; he thought that this would be the end

_'doesn't matter, at least this way I'll be able to feel my way around...but if that happens, then Hinata-chan wont have to help me anymore, wait...I'll still need her help me though, to read things, and to take me around the village' _Naruto thought

"Okay, I suppose I can work on that as we move around today" Naruto said while he got up and stretched his aching joints

_'Why I am worried about not having Hinata-chan to help me?' _Naruto thought idly

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata wasn't sure what he had in mind

"I really don't like being cooped up in one place for a lengthy amount of time, besides, the next step to the scroll doesn't require me to stay in one place, right?" Naruto explained. Hinata thought it over and decided that he was right

"I suppose so. Then in that case, where would you like to go today?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about it deeply but couldn't think of an answer

"Dunno" Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders "...is there anything you want to do?" Naruto asked, in the past few days he'd realized that they had been doing things he wanted, it was only fair that they do something that Hinata wanted.

"Well...if you sore from sitting around, then we could take a walk around the gardens that I mentioned earlier" Hinata shyly suggested, she had rarely been asked what she wanted to do, often she did what others wanted because she was eager to please and didn't want to provoke a potential argument with whomever she was with.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about the gardens, lets go then" Naruto said happily, already he was trying to release his chakra from his entire body, in an attempt to feel his way around but couldn't quite do it. Hinata stood up and once again placed Naruto's hand on her arm and guided him out of the room and down yet another labyrinth of corridors to the gardens.

Naruto couldn't believe how hard a time he was having, releasing his chakra from his entire body

_'I just need more time, I'll have this by the end of the day' _Naruto thought. Being at such a close proximity to Naruto, Hinata was able to feel the chakra emanating from him

"Naruto-kun, I think it would be wise to stop releasing your chakra for the time being, just to give your body a rest from the chakra strain" Hinata said, remembering Neji's warning's earlier. Naruto turned his head to Hinata in a questioning manner.

"I don't need to rest, my body has been able to take a hell of a beating before, I can handle a bit of chakra strain" Naruto said proudly. Hinata felt a great admiration for him at this moment and almost let him carry on, but her sense of reason kicked in and told Hinata to tell Naruto to give it a rest.

"N-no, N-Naruto-kun. You...you w-will listen to me, and I am telling y-you to stop for the t-time being" Hinata was feeling very lightheaded from her own words, she had never told anyone what to do in her life, except from the incidents with Kiba. To say that Naruto was amazed was an understatement; he was on the brinks of shock from being told what to do by the quiet, shy, blue-haired girl.

He was about to say something in protest but stopped short as he remembered Tsunade's words

_' Oh yeah; _"...SHE is in charge..."_ was what obaachan said._ _I suppose I will have to do what Hinata-chan says' _Naruto thought

"Okay Hinata-chan, your the boss" Naruto said jokingly, barely containing his laughter, he was not laughing _at_ Hinata but at his own _half-_joke. Hinata couldn't help but giggle; she understood that Naruto wasn't making fun of her. Hearing Hinata's giggles, Naruto decided that it was safe and burst into a fit of laughter which Hinata soon joined. After a few minutes, their laughing died down and neither could really remember what they were laughing at in the first place. Hinata had just noticed that they had stopped walking, during the laughter they must have halted. Slowly, they began again, toward the gardens. On the way, a question surfaced within Naruto's mind

"Hey Hinata-chan, where did you go after you left earlier?" Naruto asked, curious

"I just went to have a word with my father, that's all" Hinata replied. Naruto was about to ask why, but stopped himself as he realized that it was none of his business

"Okay" Naruto said. They walked in yet another silence

Naruto and Hinata emerged into the Hyuuga gardens, feeling the mid-afternoon sun on them. The sight of these gardens were so beautiful that Hinata always took a breath when she sees them, to her, the sheer beauty of the lush, green grass, the untouched trees, the colors of the flowers are of such a sight that she cannot get completely used to it. The smells of all the different kinds of flowers were among the nicest smells either Naruto or Hinata had ever smelled. Hinata looked over to Naruto, his jaw was hanging loose and his nostrils were flaring, clearly he was trying to take in all of the smells at once. Wordlessly, Hinata began to move forward, guiding Naruto along a path. Hinata had decided to take Naruto to the one place where she felt truly at peace. She brought him past various hedges, towering trees and beds of flowers. Naruto realized that he was no longer walking on concrete but on wood

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto wondered where Hinata was taking him, he wasn't complaining, just unsure. He could see why Hinata came here; it reminded him of when he was younger, when he was happy in his ignorance of Kyuubi. Hinata came to a stop; Naruto could hear the sounds of running water around them. They were standing at the apex of a wooden bridge that crossed over a clear water stream, which ran through the garden.

"This is where I come when I want to get away, I come here and I feel as if everything is okay, I love this place" Hinata explained, she had never even told anyone about this little retreat she had, much less _brought_ anyone here, but she didn't feel nervous. Naruto felt Hinata lean forward and decided he should do the same, cautiously he leaned forward, reaching out with his free hand, he felt a wooden rail just in front of him, just above waist height. Taking his hand off Hinata, he placed it on the rail and let his weight lean down on the rail. He liked it here aswell. He could feel all of his worries drifting away with the water beneath them. Hinata had brought him here for exactly that reason; she had noticed that Naruto had been feeling down in the time they spent together. He'd flash his foxy-grin whenever he could but there were times where Hinata could see suppressed pain behind the smile; it was hard to notice, especially without being able to see his eyes. Hinata could read someone like a book when she could see their eyes. In their academy days, Hinata could see beyond Naruto's fake smile, when all the other kids were laughing at him. Hinata turned her head to look at Naruto and was pleased by the gentle smile on his lips and couldn't help but smile herself, she was happy that she was able to help

_'Man, who would of thought that listening to water could make you feel like this' _Naruto thought, listening intently to the steam's sounds

"I can see...understand why you come here, Hinata-chan" Naruto said, no longer able to prevent his smile from growing to a wide, foxy-grin. Hinata smiled as she noticed that it was a true smile

_'Naruto-kun is feeling better now. I knew it was a good idea to bring him here' _Hinata thought with a sense of pride.

"You know what, I feel like taking a walk" Naruto said, still with the smile. Hinata took Naruto's hand and placed it on her arm, and continued across the bridge and onto the pathway on the other side

"Where would you like to go, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about it

"Just a walk around Konoha, maybe we could stop of for some lunch" Naruto said, starting to feel the effects of skipping breakfast that morning.

"Okay Naruto-kun" Hinata said before she turned and guided Naruto down a small path which lead towards a gate, leading out of the Hyuuga estate. As they were walking down the path towards the gate, they met someone unexpected, who appeared behind them

"Well, this is what I call, _the blind, leading the blind_" Hinata's sister, Hanabi said. The reason she was unexpected was that she was usually inside the gym, training her fighting skills, not 'wasting time' walking around the gardens.

"Hanabi" Hinata greeted, turning around to face her sister. Although the two rarely talked, they still saw eye-to-eye. Naruto disliked the voice; it insulted Hinata's ability

"Hinata, who's this?" Hanabi asked, pointing towards Naruto

"This is Uzumaki Naruto" Hinata told her sister

"Naruto, Naruto..." Hanabi repeated, trying to remember him, then it hit her "...He's the boy you li..." Hanabi continued before finding a hand over her mouth, she looked up to see a blushing but narrow eyed Hinata, to whom the hand belonged. Hinata still had her hand over Hanabi's mouth when she turned to Naruto, to see if he had picked up on what her sister had just tried to say. Fortunately for her though, He seemed unaware, if his unchanged expression told her anything. Hanabi almost laughed, she almost spilled Hinata's single biggest secret. Seeing her sister's warning look, Hanabi calmed herself. Deciding it was safe, Hinata removed her hand.

"Who's this Hinata-chan" Naruto finally asked, as he gave up on trying to figure out what the little girl had tried to say before stopping abruptly

"This is my little sister, Hanabi" Hinata introduced

"Sister? I didn't know you had a sister, Hinata-chan" Naruto said. Hanabi let a smirk to come across her face at hearing the affectionate suffix used towards her sister by Naruto

"Is there something we can do for you, Hanabi?" Hinata asked, feeling uncomfortable with the smile on her sister's face

"Nothing much, I just wanted to know if it was true, that you're going to receive training from one of the elders" Hanabi said

"Y-yes, it's true" Hinata confirmed

"I hope you know what you're doing, I haven't had the training because my body is still too small" Hanabi said, inwardly cursing her body for letting her sister get ahead of her

"I'll be fine" Hinata responded. Hanabi raised an eyebrow

"Fine, but even if you complete the training, I'll still be able to beat you" Hanabi proudly said

"We'll see" Hinata replied. She disliked it when her sister starts acting superior, she didn't dislike Hanabi herself, just the way she sometimes acted, of course, Hinata never voiced these opinions

"See you later Hinata-nee-chan" Hanabi said before turning around and walking off down the path. When he could no longer sense her, Naruto spoke up

"What's up with her?" He asked

"Nothing, that's how she acts" Hinata said as they began walking forward towards the gate

"How do you live with her?" Naruto asked. Hinata giggled slightly

"She's my sister, I sort of have to. Besides, she is one of the few in this family who sees me for who I really am" Hinata explained

"Oh, okay then. Anyway, what was she talking about?" Naruto asked as they stepped through the gate, out onto a small street, behind the Hyuuga grounds

"I asked my father and I'm going to receive training from a Hyuuga master" Hinata said

"Cool, so your going to become even stronger" Naruto complimented, causing Hinata to blush

"M-maybe, Naruto-kun" Hinata said slightly unsure, after all, the training was difficult

"When are you going to start?" Naruto asked

"My father said that I could start whenever I wanted, but the elders never like to be kept waiting, so, sometime soon." Hinata said

"What, like today? Tomorrow?" Naruto asked

"Like I said, the elders don't like to be kept waiting, so tomorrow would probably be the best time" Hinata didn't want to leave Naruto, but she knew better than to keep the clan elders waiting, besides, it wasn't as if Naruto couldn't survive without her for a few hours

"Okay, but that leaves me without a guide tomorrow." Naruto almost sounded like he was complaining

"N-not all d-day tomorrow, just for a few hours" Hinata, she could hear the complaint in his voice and blushed very slightly "...and we can find someone to fill in for me in that time." She suggested

"Oh that's okay then, if its just for a few hours" Naruto said, feeling relieved for reasons he didn't understand. Hinata's faint blush surfaced with a vengeance at hearing that Naruto was relieved that she wasn't going to be gone _all_ day.

As Hinata and Naruto walked, Naruto could hear the sounds of more people, signifying that they were now on a large street.

"I really shouldn't of skipped breakfast this morning" Naruto said, rubbing his empty stomach. Hinata too, felt rather hungry, even though she did have some breakfast that morning.

"Doesn't matter, you just weren't hungry" Hinata said as they rounded the last street corner onto the small street that was home to the Ichiraku ramen stand. Naruto's nostrils began flaring intensely at the smell of freshly made ramen, a small trail of drool fell down the right side of his chin. Hinata looked to Naruto, hearing him sniffing the air. Once again she found herself giggling at Naruto's cuteness. Naruto was too entranced by the ever-strengthening smell being emitted by the upcoming ramen stand. Hinata pulled back the flaps so that they could enter the stand.

"Welcome!" The stand owner turned and greeted his newest customers of the day, while the waitress was wiping up spilled ramen on the counter. The stand was empty seeing as it was past lunchtime and the regulars had gone back to work. Hinata guided Naruto to a stool and then sat herself next to him

"It's good to see my two favorite customers back again" The old man said happily "...what can I get you?" He asked

"One shrimp and one beef" Naruto said, barely able to wait while the ramen is prepared. Naruto proceeded to tell Hinata about his team's "Mission" to remove Kakashi's mask. So he could try and get his mind off the waiting for the food.

"We tried following him, we tried watching him eat, we even tried to attack him to get him to remove that dang mask" Naruto explained as he reminisced. Hinata was happy to once again hear about Naruto's missions

"There you go" the old man placed their ramen in front of them. Naruto smelled the ramen in front of him and momentarily forgot about his story and reached for the bowl with one hand while the other reached for a pair of chopsticks. When he couldn't find the cup of chopsticks, Naruto decided that he would try and use his new chakra sense. Putting his hands out towards the counter, Naruto focused chakra to them and then released it in small wave motions

_'Whoa, this is a lot more complicated than the kunai' _Naruto thought, feeling almost every detail on the counter top, after a moment of decision, Naruto decided he had found the cup and reached out for it to his right. His chakra sense had not failed him, as he picked up the cup and removed a pair of chopsticks

"HAHA! I DID IT!" Naruto shouted with pride before offering a pair of chopsticks to Hinata, who as always smiled at Naruto's little outburst

"Thank you Naruto-kun" Hinata accepted a pair for herself and broke them apart, as did Naruto. Hinata had been politely waiting for Naruto to get some chopsticks before she got her own, seeing that he was doing his new-found skill, decided not to interfere, though she was slightly surprised that he actually held out the cup for her, a gesture that made her blush

_'I don't think I'll get completely used to it when I'm around Naruto-kun' _Hinata thought as she and Naruto both lowered their chopsticks into their ramen. Naruto lowered his chopsticks into the ramen and quickly pulled out some long strands of noodles before slurping them up, quite loudly. Hinata was eating her ramen with a lot more grace, making almost no sound. While Naruto's speed with eating noodles blind was almost up to par to when he could see, he noticed the lack of slurping sounds coming from Hinata

"Hinata-chan, aren't you hungry?" Naruto asked, He couldn't hear Hinata _slurp _up her ramen like he thought everyone did and thought that she wasn't eating

"No, I-I am" Hinata said before she made a very watery slurp with her noodles to prove to Naruto that she was in fact eating, she felt very light headed from embarrassment, but seeing that no one minded, she decided that it was okay and just slurped away her ramen like Naruto. Without the need to show eating manners, Hinata was able to eat her ramen at almost the same speed as Naruto, which was saying something. This did not go unnoticed by Naruto, who was surprised, at how fast she was eating, judging from the shortening intervals between slurps. Seeing a challenge arise, Naruto picked up his pace, Hinata had realized what was going on, she smiled faintly and began to eat faster. The two workers of the stand were watching the unofficial race that was taking place, from the speeds the two were eating at the workers were wondering if they were even bothering to chew. Hinata had finished pulling all of her noodles out of her bowl and proceeded to raise the bowl to her mouth so she could drink all of the left over water and put the bowl on the counter with her chopsticks, while letting out a satisfied sigh. Naruto heard Hinata finish off her ramen as he was bringing his bowl up to his mouth. Once his bowl rested on the counter beside Hinata's, Naruto turned to face her. Hinata was struggling with all of her will to prevent the eruption of laughter break through from within her because of their 'Ramen Race' Hinata also noticed that his shoulders were shaking, as well as her own as she was contain her own laughter

_'Why is his face going red...' _Hinata was in mid-thought when Naruto burst out laughing uncontrollably. Finding his laughter very infectious, along with her own pent up humor, Hinata erupted into almost a fit of hysterics. It had been far too long since she had REALLY laughed. Even the stand owners were struggling not to laugh, it took a while for Naruto and Hinata to calm down.

"Well, I'm not hungry anymore" Naruto said, smiling at the still-giggling Hinata

"Oh? giggle is the great Uzumaki Naruto turning down a free bowl of ramen? giggle This is truly a day to remember" Hinata said, struggling to control her laughter

"Free?" Naruto's head perked up like a dog, waiting to be walked. Seeing this, Hinata almost lost herself in another fit of laughter but contained herself to a healthy laugh

"Yes Naruto-kun, I would be happy to" Hinata said after her second bout with laughter had subsided

"Oh, no, I couldn't accept..." Naruto's manners had returned, and told him to protest, until Hinata interrupted

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist" Hinata said, putting her hand on Naruto's shoulder. She hadn't noticed what she was doing until her hand was resting on his shoulder, then the shy Hinata returned, along with a blush that would blend in with Sakura's dress.

"Well, if you insist, I suppose we can half the bill" Naruto suggested, feeling guilty for allowing Hinata to pay for his food, and surprisingly comfortable with the hand on his shoulder, with the exception of Iruka no one touched _him_ in anyway but to cause harm.

"...hey old man, two more bowls" Naruto requested

"P-Please" Hinata added, she had never liked to be impolite. Still feeling nervous, she carefully raised her hand off his shoulder and put it down on the counter top. Hinata sat looking at her hands in silence, not daring to look up at Naruto.

"Something wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked

"N-nothing's wrong, Naruto-kun" Hinata replied, stealing a glance at Naruto before returning her vision to her battling thumbs on the counter top

"I was just wondering where your alter-ego went" Naruto chuckled, Hinata smiled at him. Naruto stopped smiling and craned his head, angling his right ear towards the entrance to the stand as if he heard something. Hinata noticed this as she was taking another look at Naruto. Wondering what he was listening for, Hinata turned towards the entrance to where Naruto was listening intently. Hinata noticed that his forehead was wrinkled in thought

_'I wonder what he hears'_ Hinata thought to herself, looking between the entrance and Naruto. Naruto let out a tired sigh as he shook his head and turned back to face the counter once again. Hinata was very confused, however this confusion lifted when she saw who entered the stand. She turned to look at Naruto who had sensed the presence of the newcomer; he was still shaking his head and rubbing his forehead just above his right eyebrow

"Naruto-kun! I Rock Lee challenge your strength to my own" The bowl-headed, fuzzy eye browed green beast of Konoha said while striking a very cheesy pose

"Great, Now my day is complete" Naruto said under his breath so that only Hinata heard him, while still shaking his head. Without saying a word Naruto stood up to face Lee in much the same way he stood before Kiba a couple of days previous.

"You know I'd like to answer your challenge anytime, Fuzzy-eyebrows but given my currant condition, it would be somewhat of a one-sided battle, it wouldn't be a fair challenge because I'm hardly up to my full strength" Naruto said to Lee, feeling a little disappointed that he had to turn down a fight, that would prove his strength.

"Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun and Sakura-san told me about your situation, this is why I wish to fight" Lee said, earning yet more confusion. A matter of minutes before Lee arrived at the ramen stand; he was on a training field with Gai, training his heart out, trying to become stronger

Flashback

Lee Was standing on the grassy training field with Gai, running through a complex series of punching and kicking combinations, when he saw Sasuke and Sakura walking past, well...Sasuke walking and Sakura trailing behind

"Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun!" Lee yelled, waving at the pair

"Lee, now is a good opportunity to find out about one of your rivals, Know your rival off the battle field and you will know him on it" Gai said while Lee was scribbling away in his note book which seemingly materialized when Gai started speaking

"Yes sir, Gai-sensei" Lee said while saluting with the pencil in hand, accidentally drawing a line on his forehead. Sakura stopped and walked over to Lee and Gai, while Sasuke was muttering complaints as he too, trudged his way toward Gai and his 'mini-me'

"Hello Lee-san" Sakura greeted while Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes and looking away

"Where is Naruto-kun today?" Lee asked, noticing the lack of the loud-mouthed ninja

"He's with Hinata, he had a bit of an accident and is temporarily without his sight" Sakura explained with a little sorrow in her voice, she knew that her use of the word "Temporarily" was a flexible one, it was still fifty-fifty on whether Naruto would regain his sight

"I'm sorry to hear that, but this is a great chance to prove my strength" Lee said with flames in his eyes

"The fire of youth burns fiercely within you, Lee" Gai said while shaking his fist in pride, with his eyes closed in thought, to add impact "...but Lee, you cannot face Naruto-kun, such a match would be handicapped" Gai opened his eyes to see Sasuke and Sakura walking away, which caused a vein to pop out from Gai's forehead

"Students of rival Kakashi, you too have adopted his somewhat 'hip' attitude" Gai said to himself in anger for being bested by Kakashi who isn't even around "...Lets go, Lee...Lee?...LEE!?" Gai screamed when he noticed the trail of dust leading away, clearly the signs of the green-beast's hunt for a challenge

End Flashback

Hinata was feeling nervous about Lee challenging Naruto to a fight but didn't say anything since Lee wasn't being rude to him like Kiba a few nights before

"Naruto-kun, for our fight, I too shall go without my sight and rely entirely on my battle heightened senses. This shall be a true test of my strength since...since..." Lee quickly whipped out his notebook and turned back a couple of pages

"...since true strength does not mean muscle strength, you must have other worthy qualities if you must be truly strong" Lee said quoting from his notepad, remembering Kakashi's and Gai's game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and how even luck is also a part of strength. Naruto thought about it and was about to answer when a violent gust of wind blew through the entrance of the stand, knocking over various items in the stand.

"G-Gai-Sensei" Lee cried out. Before them stood Gai, with an protruding vein on his forehead

"Lee, You FOOL!" He said while punching him clean across the jaw. Hinata was shocked that a sensei would strike down their own subordinate, Naruto on the other hand had seen it all before and wasn't as shocked. Hinata was about to go to Lee to see if she could help him before Naruto, who sensed that Hinata wanted to help, put his hand on her shoulder

"Don't worry, they'll work things out" Naruto said softly to her. Hinata still wanted to go over to Lee, until she saw Gai walk towards him with a smile on his face

"Lee, you truly are the incarnation of the flames of courage and strength." Gai said, beaming with pride. Lee was looking at Gai with awe, until the inevitable...

"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee screamed out as he flung himself towards his mentor

"LEE!" Gai screamed just as much as Lee, as they hugged tightly. Hinata's eyes were wide; she couldn't believe what she was seeing

"Man, I love being blind" Naruto said cheerily as he sat back down. Hinata decided to do the same, her stomach feeling slightly unsettled

"Why do they do that? First Lee-san gets punched then they are hugging" Hinata said trying to get the image out of her head

"It's just the way they are, sensei to student. At least this doesn't usually last long" Naruto explained. Sure enough when Hinata turned around, Lee and Gai were no longer embraced

"Naruto-kun, I await you answer" Lee said,

"Sure, why not?" Naruto said, Hinata looked to Naruto and then to Lee, she had never seen Lee fight but from what she had heard from Shino, he was very strong

"I-If things get out of h-hand then I will stop you" Hinata spoke up "...H-Hokage-sama said that I h-have to keep Naruto-kun out of trouble" She looked to Lee

"Of course, Hinata-san" Lee said, giving her a 'thumbs up'

"Anything you say Hinata-chan" Naruto said, now happy that he could have a fight

_'This will be a good opportunity to try out my chakra-sense'_ Naruto thought to himself as he began to try and release chakra from his entire body

"Okay, fuzzy-eyebrows, come find me later when you want to do it" Naruto said

"Yes, Naruto-kun. Before I go, may I join you for a bowl of ramen?" Lee said, following his sensei's earlier teachings of 'know your enemy...'

"Sure, pull up a stool" Naruto said, Hinata smiled and nodded to Lee and Gai as she herself took her seat next to Naruto "...I never figured you to be a ramen lover, fuzzy eyebrows"

"It's all I ever used to eat before Gai-sensei started training me. Mister, one bowl of spicy chicken" Lee said

"Lee, do not forget about your training. Training on a full stomach can be hazardous to those around you" Gai warned as he signaled for the same ramen as Lee

"Yes, Gai-sensei" Lee said, while Hinata and Naruto were quietly talking to each other

"What's wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked

"Hokage-sama wanted me to look after you, to keep you out of trouble so that you don't aggravate your condition" Hinata said, not stuttering because as far as she was concerned, for the time being they were alone

"Hinata-chan, I want to do this, not because it's another fight, but because this will prove once and for all if I can actually live as a ninja without my sight, I need to do this" Naruto explained

"But Naruto-kun, what if you get hurt?" Hinata said, Naruto thought about and then answered

"Then I'll get hurt" Naruto said, Hinata was plagued with doubt

"Alright, Naruto-kun, if it means that much to you, then I suppose you have to, but just remember, if things get too violent, then I am stopping it, no questions" Hinata said firmly

"Deal" Naruto said, just as his ramen appeared before him. Naruto got another pair of chopsticks and was about to dig in when he abruptly stopped and turned to Hinata, Hinata, who was about to start eating her ramen, noticed Naruto turn towards her

"Hinata-chan? Why do care about me getting hurt?" Naruto asked, Hinata started blushing, she hadn't thought about Naruto actually being able to ask her about that. Fortunately for her, though Lee turned back around and started talking to them

Naruto-kun, how long do you have to where the blindfold?" Lee asked

"At least 'till the end of the week, if I cant see by then, then I'll probably never see again" Naruto said in a neutral voice as he began to eat his ramen. Lee nodded in understanding

"I know how you feel, it was a waking nightmare, the nurses and the doctors telling me to quit being a ninja because of my arm and leg. I'm sorry that you may have to give up life as a ninja" Lee said, understanding after going through something similar.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about giving up being a ninja? I'm going to be the Hokage, no matter what" Naruto said, pointing in Lee's direction. Gai was in tears from Naruto's determination

"Naruto-kun, the undying fire of the power of youth burns fiercely within you" Gai said through his tears of admiration

"So, what will you two be doing tomorrow?" Lee asked, all but ignoring Gai

"Hinata needs to go and train with her family" Naruto explained, not realizing the consequences

"Hinata-san is going away? Do you have anyone to help you around tomorrow?" Lee asked. Naruto practically choked on his noodles "...If you would like, I would be your guide tomorrow" Naruto had to think fast

"No, no, no, haha you really don't have to, I'll find someone else don't you worry, besides, you have to get stronger, right?" Naruto baited

"Of course, I will become even stronger and show everyone that my way of the ninja cannot be broken" Lee took Naruto's bait at a chance to outline his 'way of the ninja'. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, Lee was an okay guy to talk to and to eat lunch with, but there were few people who Naruto could actually spend a day with, except for Hinata. Lee and Gai finished off their ramen and stood up

"I shall meet you at the seventh training field whenever you are ready" Lee said as he exited the stand

"Naruto-kun, are you sure you do not need us to help you tomorrow?" Gai asked on his way out "...I promise that if we fail you, I will do five hundred one-legged, no handed back flips, standing still, or failing that, I promise to..."

"I'm sure, I really don't want to keep Lee and yourself from your training" Naruto interrupted, he really didn't feel like listening to an endless list of 'things to do if I fail'

"Very well, Naruto-kun" Gai said as he too exited the stand. Naruto breathed a huge sigh of relief

"Finally, they're away, I don't think I could handle any more of them" Naruto said. Until another person walked in who was on Naruto's 'Annoying persons list'

"Naruto, I thought I'd find you here" Jiraiya said from behind them. Naruto smacked his forehead

"Damn it, too many people know where I eat" Naruto said, Hinata giggled softly, though she didn't know who the old man was.

"Oi, Naruto, did I hear correctly or did Gai say that you needed help getting around tomorrow, Tsunade said that some girl was showing you around" Jiraiya said

"Yeah, Hinata-chan here was helping me but she has to go away for a little bit tomorrow to train" Naruto explained

"Really? I guess it is up to me to look after you tomorrow, since Gai and Lee obviously cant" Jiraiya said with a wicked grin. Naruto's face paled as he shot up and shakily walked over to entrance and stuck his head out

"FUZZY EYEBROWS, GET BACK HERE" Naruto screamed, preferring to take the lesser of two evils "...Damn it, looks like I'm stuck with you" Naruto pouted as he made his way back over to the counter top when he didn't get any response. He would of made it to his stool aswell if Jiraiya hadn't stuck out his foot in a remorseless way. Naruto was on his feet within seconds

"DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN" Naruto screamed at him, although, internally he was almost grateful that wasn't treating him like a cripple

"E-excuse me, b-but who are you?" Hinata asked Jiraiya, Naruto held his hands up to Hinata as if to signal that she shouldn't ask

"Hinata-chan, that would be a..."

"Who am I, you ask? So glad you asked..." Jiraiya said, starting to do his introductory dance, completely ignoring Naruto

"No" Naruto said shaking his head, and pointing his finger to where he guessed the old pervert was standing

"...I am the man who has no enemies in the..."

"No" Naruto said, still shaking his head and pointing at him

"...north, east, south or west..."

"No"

"...not even in the heavens!..."

"No!"

"...I am one of the Sannin..."

"No!"

"...The white-haired frog tamer..."

"No!"

"...even a crying baby would stare in awe..."

"NO!"

"...the great Jiraiya!"

"God damn it, NO!" Naruto hated it when Jiraiya did his intro. Hinata was surprised that Naruto was showing disrespect to one of the strongest ninjas of all time

"Naruto-kun? Why did you say 'no', when Jiraiya-sama was introducing himself?" In truth, Hinata felt uncomfortable with his little 'dance' aswell

"You hear him introduce himself once, you've heard it a thousand times, you hear it a thousand times, you never want to hear it again" Naruto explained, Hinata found it hard to argue with.

"Is this the girl that is helping you, Naruto" Jiraiya asked

"Yeah, this is Hinata-chan, Naruto slowly walked over to Hinata, being very careful not to trip over anything this time, "someone's" foot, for example. Hinata stood and bowed to Jiraiya

"I-It's an honor to meet you, Jiraiya-sama" Hinata said politely

"The honor is mine, Hinata, Naruto sure is a lucky guy to have such a young, pretty..."

"Watch it, ero-sennin" Naruto interrupted as he sat back down in his stool once again

_'I'll be damned if I let that pervert, creep Hinata-chan out' _Naruto thought angrily

"Naruto, would it kill you to call me by my name? at least in front of your little girlfriend" Jiraiya asked. Hinata was nearing suffocation from embarrassment, Naruto wasn't much better off either

"Wh-wh-what are y-you talking about?" Naruto stuttered

"Ah, my boy, there's no need to hide it, I completely understand, I only wish I were in your position" Jiraiya said in an envious tone, Hinata was too stunned for words. Naruto felt he should say something but couldn't find any words. Jiraiya looked between the two's expressions

"Well whatever, I cant hang around here all day, there's...research to be done, see you tomorrow, Naruto" Jiraiya said seconds before he saw a young woman in a miniskirt pass the stand

"Mini-skirt drool" He was on his way out when he turned back to Naruto and Hinata who were as bright red statues "you two, be good, if you cant be good be careful and if you cant be careful then be sure to have a pram" Jiraiya laughed before running off down the street "...Miss, excuse me miss, can I tell you what a great set of...WHACK" was all that was heard. Hinata couldn't lift her gaze from the ground even if her father was riding around on a unicycle wearing a pink tutu. It took a few minutes before Naruto's brain allowed him to say anything

"H-he's an idiot, just ignore him" Naruto said, really trying to get the old hermit out of his head. Hinata was beginning to regain control of her vocal cords

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata almost whispered. The stand was very quiet, the workers seemed to be on their break and no one else was in the stand

"Hey, why don't we go to the training field and meet up with fuzzy eyebrows, he must be getting anxious by now" Naruto said, he was planning to go back to his apartment to get his ninja equipment but he decided that it might make Hinata even more uncomfortable having just been given "advice" by Jiraiya

_'doesn't matter, I'll just convince Fuzzy eyebrows to fight me hand to hand' _Naruto thought

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata said again as she put her arm out for Naruto, Naruto took it and felt a jump from Hinata

_'She hasn't done that in a while, it's all that pervert's fault' _Naruto thought angrily as they began to walk forward out the stand and on to the street. Seeing as he was about to fight Lee, Naruto decided that he should start trying to use his chakra sense. Once again, Naruto tried releasing his chakra in controlled amounts from his entire body, he wasn't making much progress but he did have to admit that Hinata's suggestion earlier to take a break was actually making it feel easier. He was about to try and release some more chakra when a stray thought hit him

"Oh crap! We forgot to pay the bill, Hinata-chan" Naruto remembered that they hadn't paid for their meal

"A-actually, I left some money on the counter before we left" Hinata said, her embarrassment beginning to slip

"oh? Thanks, last time I skipped out on paying, they barred me from there for an entire week, I lived off half eaten instant ramen cups that were in my fridge" Naruto explained. The two continued walking. Naruto kept on trying his new skill

_'Why isn't this working, I can do it with my hands...of course, I forgot about Neji's advice. I'll try and release chakra from a few chakra point, thingies at a time' _Naruto thought as he once again followed Neji's advice. The feeling he got was slightly disorienting but it was working better than before, he could feel Hinata next to him, the unevenness of the dirt road they were walking on and a few people who passed by

_'I've almost got it, a little more time and I'll have this mastered' _Naruto thought in triumph

"Naruto-kun" Hinata's firm voice broke the silence, slightly startling Naruto "...just remember, don't go over board, I'll stop your fight if you do and take you to the Hokage" Hinata said, without stuttering

"I understand, Hinata-chan" Naruto said grateful that she was concerned for him. Hinata turned and guided Naruto down the path leading towards the training field. As they emerged Hinata saw Gai and Lee training, Lee had a bandage tied around his eyes as he was sparring with Gai, not so far away was a small group of people all sitting on the ground talking. The group was comprised of the rest of the rookie-nine, even Sasuke was there but he seemed less than interested

"It seems as though Lee-san has told a few people of your little match" Hinata said, Naruto looked confused

"NARUTO! 'BOUT TIME YOU GOT HERE" Sakura shouted across the field when she noticed the orange wearing Ninja. Lee's bowl head perked up at hearing Naruto's name. Hinata guided Naruto over to where their friends were sitting. Lee moved his bandages so that he had one eye open and proceeded to walk over to them aswell

"Hi Naruto, Hinata" Sakura said as they came closer

"How'd you know about this?" Naruto asked

"Lee told Sasuke-kun and I, and I told Ino and she dragged Chouji and Shikamaru along" Sakura explained as she motioned to the group, Chouji was eating a seemingly bottomless bag of crisps while Shikamaru was sleeping, Ino proceeded to remedy this fact by pinching his nose closed and stopping him from being able to breath

"Damn it, woman. I was having such a trouble less dream" Shikamaru complained as he sat up

"What were you dreaming of Shikamaru? Was I in it?" Ino asked curious

"Yes you were, it's one of my favorite dreams where you are unable to speak" Shikamaru explained with a content sigh before Ino started pounding him in the stomach.

"Kiba-kun, what are you doing here?" Hinata asked with a soft voice but with an underling of firmness in it to remind him that she hadn't forgotten about the incident at the ramen stand

"We were already here when the bowl heads showed up" Kiba explained as he gestured to Shino and himself, Shino was as still and silent as ever. Hinata noticed that they had all avoided the subject of Naruto, clearly they had all been silenced, all but one who was asleep at the time

"Oi, Naruto, what's with the blind fold, you blind or someth..." Ino once again smacked him in the stomach and whispered in his ear not to go there

"Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered

"Naruto-kun, are you ready?" Lee asked, feeling anxious for the upcoming battle

"As ready as I'll ever be" Naruto said, Hinata walked him out into the middle of the field and set him facing Lee. Naruto let go of Hinata and was about to get into a ready stance when Hinata leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear

"Good luck" Hinata blushed and walked over to the other gennins. Naruto smiled and began focusing chakra. Lee replaced his bandage and was now sightless aswell, Gai had walked away and was watching on from afar

"Naruto-kun, a few ground rules, number one: no ninjutsu attacks, number two: no weapons, number three: don't hold back" Lee covered everything that Naruto was uncomfortable with

"Then we are ready" Naruto said

Hinata sat down beside Sakura and Ino

"Hi Hinata-chan" They both said, Hinata nodded to them. Sasuke seemed to be mildly interested in the fight that was about to commence. Kiba and Shino were talking to each other, Shikamaru had once again fallen asleep and Chouji was too busy inhaling his crisps to pay any attention to anything else

"So, what have you and Naruto been doing?" Sakura asked

"Nothing much" Hinata said. Sakura rolled her eyes

"Come on Hinata-chan, just ask him out, it'll be a surprise but he'd like it, I'm sure" Ino cut in. Sakura turned to face Ino

"Like you'd know anything about that" Sakura said. Ino blushed and glanced at the sleeping Shikamaru. This went beyond the notice of Sakura who had her eyes smugly closed, Hinata however saw this one little action and raised an eyebrow at Ino, she quickly nodded her head to Hinata's silent question. Hinata leaned back on her arms still trying to comprehend what Ino had just 'Told' her. Until Sakura pointed at Lee and Naruto

"They're about to begin" Sakura said. She turned her head to Hinata

"Are you sure about letting Naruto fight, Lee-san is very strong" Sakura said

"Naruto-kun is very strong as well" Hinata replied

Naruto focused his chakra and began releasing it a little bit at a time, he couldn't feel the exact shape of the area surrounding him but it would be enough for now, besides, he could still use his arms. Lee was focusing his mind trying to block out the sounds of the wind and the birdsong to try and hear any kind of footstep that would give away Naruto's position. Lee had begun silently walking forward and to the right, still being as quiet as possible. Naruto had succeeded in creating a bubble of low energy chakra that would alert Naruto if there was anything within three meters of him. Naruto had begun taking steps forward aswell. Then, the worst thing that could of happened at that time, did. Naruto stepped on a twig, making a small but audible snap. Lee perked up at the sound and ran as quickly yet as quietly as he could towards the sound

"Well, this is over" Sakura said, although she was slightly concerned for Naruto. Hinata just smiled at her

Lee had one arm raised out to the side and his other in front of him, because he didn't know exactly where Naruto was. Lee was getting closer and closer to Naruto but he still hadn't moved. Lee was about to make contact but Naruto suddenly ducked down low and used both his legs to trip up Lee. His right foot hooked Lee's left ankle as the other caught him behind his knee. Lee went down hard. Naruto's chakra sense hadn't improved enough for him to distinguish every little detail, but he felt the presence of Lee coming towards him at a speed and aimed low.

_'What was that? Naruto-kun shouldn't have been able to sense me'_ Lee thought _'this will make things a lot more interesting' _Lee smiled as he leaped up into a standing position. Using the point where Naruto had attacked him as a starting point and the very faint sounds of movement Lee decided to attack once again but this time prepared. Lee ran forwards and swung a waist-high roundhouse kick but hit nothing, realizing that he had just given his position away with his faint sounds of attack, Lee attempted to retreat a few steps until his heightened battle reflexes sensed something, without thinking, he brought up his hands which succeeded in blocking a punch.

Naruto was slightly surprised when Lee was able to block his punch but didn't have much time to think about as he was now on the defensive, blocking a heavy barrage of kicks and punches, Naruto attempted to throw back a punch to give him a second to breath. Just as Naruto had blocked another punch he threw one back and managed to connect with Lee's stomach but Naruto's attack had left himself vulnerable as Lee delivered a mid-kick to Naruto's exposed side, slightly winding him. Naruto was trying to control his breathing as jumped backwards so that Lee was on the outreaches of his chakra sense. Naruto chose another strategy, he circled around Lee and attacked from the side. Naruto ran forward and jumped with his fist outstretched in a flying punch. But Lee had heard Naruto's quick movements and felt him come closer, just as he was about to connect, Lee jumped back slightly with his legs put forward. All Naruto felt, was a heavy contact to his legs, and because he was in mid-air the sudden contact pushed him into the ground, much like Lee, a few minutes before. Lee was once again on the offensive after he landed on his feet. Naruto quickly got up and turned around just in time to stop another volley of punches.

_'I have a slight advantage with my chakra sense but Fuzzy eyebrows packs a punch like a hammer, this could take a lot more than I thought' _Naruto thought as he jumped back leaving some space between them. _'What can I do? I haven't mastered the sense for my entire body, only my hands...my hands, they give me almost a perfect feeling, if only in one direction' Naruto_ thought, as he entered a stance similar to the Hyuuga's Jyuuken style; one arm forward with his palm facing out and the other further back with his palm out to the side giving a short but wide forward arc of chakra, the range wasn't as good as when he used his entire body but it was much more clearer, Naruto focused his mind and kept on releasing a small amount of chakra from his entire body. This gave Naruto a balance between a ranged, multi-directional but unclear sense and a small, single directional but very clear forward sense. While this gave Naruto a better sense and a clearer image of his surrounding, this was draining his chakra slightly more than before and it would require a factor of concentration to maintain the balance. Naruto began circling around Lee, he was still outside his clear arc but was still in the outer range. Naruto carefully went towards him, careful not to make a sound

Sakura was shocked, Sasuke was intrigued, Ino was darting her eyesight between Lee and Naruto, Kiba's and Shino's jaws were hanging open, Chouji had stopped eating and Shikamaru...was still asleep. Hinata was still smiling and now she was fighting against a giggle from seeing everyone's expressions, from seeing the blind, uncoordinated blond ninja fight on equal terms with the strong, fast and very determined bowl top boy, But Hinata was still concerned for Naruto's safety, the few hits that Naruto had received, Hinata felt her heart miss a beat.

Naruto was now close enough to Lee that he was in his clear arc, Naruto could feel everything, Lee's stance, his body shape, his bowl cut. Naruto went for a low kick to Lee's legs to level the taijutsu specialist. Naruto kicked behind his knee, forcing it to bend and causing Lee to fall back. As Lee was falling back he brought his arms back and turned his fall into a back flip and kicked Naruto in the head and knocking him off balance. Despite the throbbing pain now in the right side of his head, Naruto continued his attack, briefly giving up the chakra sense in his hands so he could deliver some more punches, he managed to connect a few punches before Lee began blocking them. Naruto sensed a fist coming towards him, and brought his arm up to block it. Using his forearm, Naruto deflected Lee's punch and then grabbed onto his arm and pulled him forward and delivered a knee, deep into Lee's gut, knocking the wind right out of him. Lee fell to his knees clutching his stomach, he felt as if the ramen he had just had with Naruto and Hinata was about to come up, but he fought this down and forced himself to draw a breath, Naruto jumped back to give Lee some time to catch his breath, and to give himself time to shake off Lee's kick to his head. Lee was struggling to breathe but forced himself to his feet and charged forward to where he guessed Naruto was, Naruto was hoping that he would get a few more seconds breather before Lee got up. He was now laying into Naruto with all of his remaining strength, adrenaline was pumping through his body, nulling any and all pain, Lee just kept on attacking, completely ignoring the few punches and kicks Naruto was throwing back.

Hinata's smile disappeared as she saw Lee attack with everything he had, not giving Naruto a moment of rest. Sakura was getting worried as well, even Sasuke showed discomfort

Things were starting to look down, Lee hooked Naruto in the side of his head, causing his headband to loosen, then he used his punch's momentum and swung a high kick completely removing his forehead protector altogether. Lee's kick to Naruto's head sent him crashing into the ground face first.

Hinata had, had enough. She knew that she had to stop this now

"LEE-SAN, THATS ENOUGH" Hinata screamed, causing all those around her to jump out of their skins, it even woke Shikamaru up. She got to her feet and ran towards the downed Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke were close behind. Hinata reached Naruto and crouched beside him and rolled him over. His headband was lying a few feet away and there were white strips of material lying around Naruto. Hinata gasped as she rolled Naruto over, his bandages had been completely ripped off, and the sweat from the fight had caused the patches to come loose and fall off. His eyes were exposed. Before Hinata could tell Naruto not to open his eyes or even put her hand over them, Naruto opened his eyes to the setting sun, which was beaming down on them and screamed in pain. From Naruto's perspective the world turned from a pitch black to a painful white light causing him to roll around clutching his eyes, desperate to stop the pain. Sakura and Sasuke arrived and held Naruto still incase he further hurt himself. Gai had been watching the fight from afar with pride for his student, but having seen what had happened he ran towards Naruto, Lee had removed his blindfold as well and had arrived by Naruto's side.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Lee asked in concern. Sakura slapped him upside the head for asking such a stupid question, she was too concerned for Naruto to be completely angry at Lee

"We have to get him to Tsunade-sama" Hinata said in a firm, commanding voice, but was drawing a very shaky breath

"I'll take him" Gai said. As Naruto apparently passed out due to the pain. Gai picked Naruto up and quickly but infinitely carefully ran towards the Hokage office, Hinata not more than a few feet behind him, Sasuke and Sakura following on. Lee would of come too, but the pain that he should of felt during the fight had caught up with him, He dropped to one knee as he waited out the pain.

Gai was running as fast as possible through the streets of Konoha with the number one loud-mouthed ninja unconscious in his arms. Even at Gai's speed Hinata was managing to keep up, she was putting all of her chakra in her legs to keep up. Gai burst through the entrance to the village head-quarters, and ran down a corridor

"Hinata-san, get the Hokage, I'll take Naruto-kun to the medical room" Gai said

"Yes" Hinata was getting out of breath fast, she stopped and opened the door, Tsunade was once again asleep on her desk her head propped up on one arm while the other had a pen in it, clearly she had fallen asleep in mid signature

"TSUNADE-SAMA!" Hinata shouted in an attempt to wake her up. Tsunade, groggily opened her eyes to Hinata's shout, her head slightly spinning, she had had one too many Sake the previous night.

"What is it Hinata?" Tsunade asked, shaking off a mild headache

"Naruto-kun is hurt" Hinata said. Tsunade was standing up in a second, her chair flying backwards

"Where is he?" Tsunade as she ran round her desk and towards the door

"Gai-sensei has taken him to the medical room" Hinata explained, Tsunade ran out the door and off down the corridor Hinata ran after her. When Hinata arrived at the medical room, Naruto was on a bed, Tsunade was standing over him performing some kind of jutsu on his face. Gai wasn't there; he had obviously gone to his student, although Sakura and Sasuke were in the room on the opposite side of Naruto's bed from Tsunade. Tsunade canceled her technique and sat down. Hinata approached them

"How is he?" Hinata asked. Sakura turned her head to Hinata then back to Tsunade in a questioning manner

"His optical nerves were shocked from the sudden light, they just couldn't adapt to the sudden change in their weakened state. There's still a chance that he will get his sight back but the odds have sunk dramatically. Hinata had a few tears beginning to form in her eyes

_'This is all my fault, If I hadn't allowed Naruto to fight then this wouldn't of happened' _Hinata thought

"How did this happen?" Tsunade asked

"Naruto and Lee-san were having a match" Sakura said "...Lee hit Naruto in the head a couple of times and his forehead protector and bandages fell off" Sakura explained

"It's my fault" Hinata cut in "...I was the one who let Naruto have the match in the first place" Hinata said, her tears beginning to fall. Until Sakura placed her hand on her shoulder

"This was nobody's fault, it was an accident" Sakura comforted. Hinata nodded but didn't feel much better. Naruto began to stir, the occupants of the room gathered round him. Naruto opened his eyes and gasped in pain

"Damn" was all he said, he still couldn't see. Tsunade stood up

"Firstly, Naruto; WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING! You know you shouldn't have been fighting in your condition!" Tsunade shouted

"Hey, Obaachan, little quieter, I've got one hell of a headache" Naruto said, rubbing the spot on his head where Lee kicked him "...Lee, challenged me, and I couldn't exactly refuse" Naruto explained

"I told you to stay out of trouble, Naruto. You of all people should know that a fight is a breeding ground for trouble" Tsunade said "...no more fights, Naruto, okay?" She pulled up a bag of medical supplies and brought out some bandages

"Okay" Naruto replied. Tsunade was about to place the bandages on Naruto's face when a thought occurred to her. Without a word, she performed a few hand seals and a fair amount of water fell on Naruto, completely drenching him

"What the hell did you do that for?" Naruto asked angrily, as he shook some of the water off. Tsunade smiled

"You haven't had a shower in ages, Naruto, now is as good a time as any since we are changing your bandages" Tsunade explained

"You could of at least told me" Naruto said, rubbing the water out of his hair

"Where's the fun in that?" Tsunade asked, throwing him a towel. Naruto dried himself off as best he can. Tsunade prepared the bandages, doing the same as last time, cutting two individual patches

"Naruto, close your eyes" Tsunade told Naruto. He closed his eyes and Tsunade placed the patches over his eyes, securing them using the same roll of medical tape she used a few days before, then she wrapped the long bandage around his head fixing that in place with some tape and a safety pin. Once she had put all the excess bandages back in the bag, she proceeded to adjust the one over Naruto's eyes. Tsunade had finished and was looking around Naruto's bed

"Where is his forehead protector?" she asked

"It must still be on the field" Sakura reasoned, until Hinata brought it out of her pocket "...oh, never mind" Sakura said. Hinata put Naruto's headband in his hand, which he quickly tied around his head, over his bandages.

"Well, I got to get back to work. Naruto, you're free to go, no more fights!" Tsunade warned as she walked out the room. Naruto sat up and let out a bit of a yawn

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" Sakura asked, concerned for her friend

"A little tired from my fight, but otherwise fine" Naruto said cheerily

"That's good, we were all worried about you" Sakura said in relief. Sasuke turned around and walked to the door

"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked over his shoulder

"The idiot is okay, so I'm going home" Sasuke said unemotionally

"Mind if I walk you?" Sakura asked, blushing. Sasuke said nothing, but did however wait for Sakura to catch up. Soon enough it was just Hinata and Naruto once again

"Naruto-kun, where do you want to go now" Hinata asked as Naruto got up off the bed

"I think I'll just go home" Naruto said, stopping a yawn from escaping

"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata said as she put Naruto's hand on her arm and led him out the door

Naruto and Hinata were now out on the street, the sun had set and there were fewer people about.

"Naruto-kun, are you not worried about your sight? Now there is an even lower chance of you getting your sight back now" Hinata said. Naruto thought about it and answered

"Before, I would be, but after my fight with fuzzy eyebrows I'm not really worried. I can still fight, I will not give up my life as a ninja no matter what" Naruto said seriously. Hinata smiled. They turned round a corner onto the street that Naruto lives on, but as they did, they walked into somebody and caused Hinata and Naruto to fall over

"Hey! Watch it, ya little punk" One of the men said. Hinata looked up from Naruto's side and saw the mans, or rather the men's face, their were two of them. Hinata recognized the two men, they were the ones she saw that morning who gave Naruto the spiteful

"Why don't you watch it?!" Naruto said angrily as Hinata helped him to his feet

"You little punk, I ought to..." The man stopped when his partner tapped him on the shoulder, he gave a slight smirk and they walked away without a word. Once again Hinata thought that their actions was unusual but didn't think much of it. Soon enough they arrived at Naruto's apartment block, they started climbing the stairs

"Today's been a good day" Naruto said happily

"Yes Naruto-kun" Hinata answered. Hinata and Naruto stepped off the stairs onto Naruto's floor. The sun had set and the moon was out, only slightly illuminating the darkness

(A.N: Here it comes, Chibi)

Hinata stopped Naruto in front of his front door. There was a note pinned to the door by a kunai.

"What is it Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, curious as to why she stopped

"Naruto-kun, there is a note attached to your door" Hinata replied shakily, she didn't like the fact that there was a kunai in the door

"Really? What does it say" Naruto asked feeling excited that someone would leave him a note. Hinata took a closer look at the note and read aloud

"_Leave Konoha, no one wants you here. Everyone hates you. No one loves you. Nothing awaits you here, you should have been killed at birth like the demon that you are" _Hinata had a few tears in her eyes as she read it, she fearfully turned to look at Naruto. His face was unemotional, though he did seem to draw an erratic breath

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata said, really trying not to cry

"It's okay, I'm used to it" Naruto's voice was on the verge of breaking but he would hold it in until Hinata had gone home. Hinata nodded and turned the handle of the door. But instead of swinging open it fell down into the dark apartment with an echoing crash

"S-stupid door" Naruto tried to joke. Hinata had a sinking feeling; the note on the door and now the door crashing down, it may have been an old door but for both of the hinges to wear away and break within the nine hours of them being out was impossible. Something didn't feel right to Hinata. Naruto walked in, no longer holding onto Hinata. Hinata followed after. After she was inside, Hinata reached for the light switch that was beside the door. When the light filled every corner of the room, Hinata gasped in shock. The place was a tip, there were broken plates and glasses everywhere, the kitchen table was propped up on it's side by the wall, the chairs were no where to be seen and it looked like the floorboards had been torn up in some places. Naruto heard Hinata gasp, he knew that it was a bad sign but used his chakra sense to 'see' what she saw. Incidents like this had happened a few times before, but this time, Naruto felt hurt, unimaginably hurt. He didn't know why this time was any different. Naruto knew he wouldn't last long; he needed to be alone, so that Hinata wouldn't see his pain

"I-I'll see you t-tomorrow, H-Hinata-chan" Naruto said, unintentionally letting out a sniff and scrunching up his eyes so that no tears could escape, he didn't know why, it wasn't as if Hinata would see his eyes with his blindfold on, but Naruto decided not to tempt fate

"W-why did they do this, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, her heart felt like it had been ripped into two from the pain heard in Naruto's voice.

"Hinata-chan, please leave" Naruto couldn't believe he had just asked her to leave, he didn't want to, but his tears wouldn't wait. It was then, that the blue haired girl shocked Naruto once again

"No" Hinata's serious side had emerged; she knew that something was eating Naruto and that bottling it up without talking about it would lead to self-destruction. She too had been close to that stage before, but then Naruto found her and made her feel good about herself again.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, his knees began to feel weak.

"Naruto-kun, you don't have to put on a face anymore. I can see past it, there's no fooling me" Hinata said unfaltering. She walked up behind Naruto and put her hand on his shoulder for comfort. With Naruto being blind, he was unable to see the hate filled looks that were given to him every day, he was happy, he had all but forgotten about Kyuubi and the reason behind the villagers' hatred towards him. But now, the pain has returned by the painful reminder of having his house trashed and being left a note, telling him outright what the villagers think of him. It were as though Naruto's pain was a river, but being blind and being with Hinata had built up a dam to hold back the pain, but now the dam has broken, releasing the years of pain, loneliness and fear in one colossal wave. Naruto's inner mind was barely holding the dam together but now Hinata was there to catch the water. Naruto figured that Hinata was there and she wanted to help. The dam shattered, the feelings of pain, loneliness and fear was overwhelming Naruto's mind. He collapsed in on himself; dropping to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, the fabric of his fore head protector began to look damp from his tears. From his knees, Naruto began to fall to the side, he would of hit the floor had Hinata not been there to catch him. She sat down on the floor beside Naruto. Almost instinctively, she brought him into a hug and pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder. Naruto's arms went around her and held on tight, never wanting to let go. Hinata in turn began stroking the back of his head. Hinata took his headband off, his bandages were drenched and now little streaks of tears were rolling down either side of his face. Naruto turned his head and completely buried his face into her shoulder and neck and wailing and shaking uncontrollably. Hinata felt as if her heart was being hit between a hammer and an anvil, she couldn't stand to see, the inspiration and love of her life in this state. But she would stay and help bear the pain with him. She didn't know how long she sat there with Naruto on her shoulder but she knew that he needed this. Hinata's shoulder was almost soaked, Naruto's cries were gradually dying down, he seemed to be more in control. Once Naruto decided that he had calmed down, he let go of Hinata but didn't say a word. Hinata let go of Naruto but kept her hand on his. Naruto managed to control his breathing to the point where he could speak

"W-why? Why do you care so much" Naruto asked, while giving a slight sniff. Hinata smiled softly and squeezed his hand in an affectionate way

"The note was wrong, Naruto-kun, you are not hated by Sakura-chan, Sasuke and especially not...me" Hinata said, her voice was soft, caring and true

"Thank you, Hinata-chan" Naruto said, now giving her a pure smile, full of joy. Naruto was about to get up until something hit him in what Hinata had just said

"Hinata-chan? What did you mean when you said '_especially not me_" Naruto asked. Hinata blushed and giggled softly. She hadn't expected things to turn out like this

'_Maybe it's time'_ Hinata thought

"Naruto-kun, the letter was wrong in _every _way. You are not a demon, you are wanted here, not everyone hates you and...at least one person you know loves you" Hinata was blushing but wasn't twiddling her thumbs, otherwise she would have to remove her hand from Naruto's. Naruto thought over what she said.

"Who is this one person?" Naruto asked. Hinata smiled once again

"I'll give you a clue; this person has blue hair and a special ability to do with their eyes" Hinata hinted. Naruto thought it over

"So, you mean to tell me..." Hinata's heart began to beat faster, her blush deepening "...that Sasuke is in love with me?" Naruto asked with a worried expression. Hinata tried to stop her laugh but failed completely, she burst out into a healthy laughter. Naruto was confused

"No, Naruto-kun. I'm pretty sure that Sasuke isn't in love with you" Hinata settled down and waited for him to come up with the right answer

"So, if it's not Sasuke then who is it? The only other person in this village that has blue hair is..." Naruto's jaw seemed to have come loose it was hanging like a dog on a hammock "...you?" Naruto continued, his heart was speeding up.

"Yes, Naruto-kun" Hinata said simply. She thought that her words came out rather easily. That confirmed it for Naruto

"You l-love m-me" Naruto was going over it in his mind and almost couldn't comprehend. He just kept on repeating the same sentence over and over again. Hinata figured there was only one way to get him to break the cycle. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. Naruto began blushing like Hinata used to. Naruto carefully touched his cheek where Hinata had just kissed him. Then he smiled, he turned his hand over and caressed hers.

"I feel the same way, Hinata-chan" Naruto said his blush ever increasing. Hinata smiled also, although she felt like she had a humming bird in her chest from the speed that her heart was traveling at. Naruto suddenly felt very tired. The crying he had done earlier had worn him out.

"Naruto-kun, you look tired so I'll be back in the morning. Are you going to be alright?" Hinata asked as she helped Naruto to his feet and guided him towards his room. This time however, they were holding hands. Hinata opened his door and turned on the light.

"Ahh, this could be a problem" Hinata said. His bed was now only useful as firewood, the mattress had been ripped open, and his clothes were lying all over the place.

"I don't think you'll be able to spend the night here Naruto-kun" Hinata said

"No need to worry, Hinata-chan, I'll be fine" Naruto said, seemingly unfazed that his room was trashed.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said firmly "... You can't stay here tonight, even if you can get to sleep, your door is still damaged and the people who did this could come back" Hinata explained. Naruto sighed

"What else can I do?" Naruto asked

"well...you could stay at...my house" Hinata said blushing. Naruto was also slightly blushing

"Will that be okay?" Naruto asked

"I'm supposed to protect you, right?" Hinata reasoned

"Okay then, we can go see Obaachan tomorrow to sort this out" Naruto planned. Hinata lead Naruto out of his house and walked down the street with him through Konoha, back to the Hyuuga estate

They were walking in silence, enjoying the warmth of each other's hands when Naruto realized that he hadn't answered Hinata's question before

"Hinata-chan, about earlier, you asked why they did that, well, I'll tell you. But promise me that you wont tell anyone else

"Of course I wont Naruto-kun" Hinata said, curious what could possibly merit the hatred of most of the village. Naruto took a breath to compose himself

"You know of the incident that happened almost thirteen years ago" Naruto began explaining

"Yes, the battle involving the Kyuubi and how the fourth killed it" Hinata remembered the stories

"He didn't kill it, you see, one part of the note earlier was correct, I carry the demon of thirteen years ago" Naruto explained. Hinata looked confused, then she figured it out.

"The fourth sealed it inside of you at the cost of his own life" Hinata guessed

"Yes" Naruto answered

"But I still don't see why the villagers hate you for it" Hinata said, confused

"I'm the demon that killed countless villagers" Naruto explained

"So you are the one responsible for the deaths of all those people" Hinata was trying to get Naruto to see things from her angle

"No, but..."

"So you asked for Kyuubi to be put inside of you" Hinata pushed on

"No"

"So how are the Kyuubi's actions your responsibility?" Hinata had succeeded, Naruto no longer felt guilty for the burden he had to carry

"I guess... it isn't" Naruto smiled happily. Hinata smiled aswell and gave Naruto another kiss on the cheek. To which he blushed once again

"Hinata-chan, you're the best!" Naruto said happily, Hinata smiled and rested her head on her boyfriends shoulder as they walked.

Author's notes: Done, At long last another chapter done. What did you think; too much, too little? What ever, THE'RE FINALLY TOGETHER. A special thanks to Chibified Kitsunes for her suggestion, if you haven't read her fic and don't know what idea I borrowed, then read it, it's very good!

A quick and rather surprising note: This chapter alone is longer than ALL previous chapters put together!

**Chibified Kitsunes: **Thank you, none of this would have been possible without your help. You have earned a place on my favorite authors list. You're the best, Chibi-chan.

Answer to the question at top: If you don't know then I am hurt. Check my profile for the answer


	7. Hinata's thoughts POV Chapter

Author's note: Hello everybody, how are you all? This is gonna be another POV chapter, this time it will be Hinata's perspective.

Thank you all for the birthday greetings, it really made my day.

**Botan-kun - **Thank you, I was afraid that I made that chapter too long, but you enjoyed it so that's good

**Firedude328** - Short and to the point, thank you

**KyLewin** - Thanks, I put some humour in so to take a step back from the seriousness and emotion. I'm glad you liked the "blind ninja" bits

**Keltosh **- Not bad, eh? Thanks. And of course I'll keep writing.

**Hisoka316** - First of all: thank you, I try to write so that everything is connected in some way. Second of all: Did I review one of your fics? I beg your forgiveness that I don't remember, what was it's name? Enjoy this chapter

**Nonengel** - Think nothing of it, what kind of writer would I be if I didn't update my Fic? I figured that Lee would be a good way to test out Naruto's sense, to break it in so to speak. You liked the fight? It was the first fight scene I had ever written, aside from the first chapter.

**The Shinobi** - Thanks, I wasn't sure how people would react to how and when they got together, but it looks like it has been well received.

**TimeShifter** - You'll find out how everyone feels next chapter. And I don't think I will be able to speed up my chapter releases, I write my main chapters at a day at a time in the fic timeframe. Sorry, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait. Though I will try to speed up the releases (No promises though)

**Crutches** - Thank you for reading, I'm glad that I could help you (get away from studying that is)

**chibified kitsunes** - Thank you, you remembered! What did you think of the chapter though?

**Seiiryu The Destroyer** - I say to you what I say to others that ask that question, I will finish this fic. Or die trying. You shedded some tears? That was exactly what I was aiming for. I've read a few fics that have brought me to tears and I wanted to see if I could do it as well, thank you.

**Chibi-sasuke309** - Wow, the _longest_ you say? Well, like I said before I doubt they're all gonna be that long (then again…) Thanks for reviewing

**Daniel of Lorien** - Thanks, I decided not to wait forever before getting them together. What better way of making Naruto feel better than telling him that he has always been loved?

**Randomreader** - Thanks, I was afraid that I messed up the whole chakra sense, but it looks like it has been well received. And yes, Chibified Kitsunes was kind enough to lend me one of her ideas, I tell you, she is one of the nicest people around. Kishimoto should consider it, you say? (Can he read English?) Thank you

**Minimerc** - That was you? Thank you SOOOO much. (truth be told, it took me a while before I figured out what you were welcoming me for, It wasn't until I re-read my previous chapter and my reviews that I figured it out, it was you who added this to KnH C2) And I'm very happy that I made you happy

**Male-chan** - My apologies, I made her strong and confident because she needed to be to help Naruto, and I would like it so that she is becoming stronger and more confident with each passing day with Naruto, but I am having her old self as well. Is OOC really a bad thing? Even if it's only slightly, well I'll try to remember what you like.

**Magicians of the Yami -** You love it? Cool, read on. Thanks for reviewing

**Kenshinlover2002 - **Like I said, it was long. I didn't realise until I was writing the end notes. Thanks for reading

**Alixen - **Thank you, I get so many kind reviewers, but you are one of the best. And I don't think I'll have any OC's, aside from those one-offs (mercenaries at the start, the two guys who wrecked Naruto's apartment)

**Manatheron** - I think I might have a lot of fun writing the next chapter (what with the Naruto/Hyuuga confrontation) Thanks for reading

**violentlycheerful** - Thank you for the "honoured sentence" And about the date; I live in Scotland, when I uploaded the new chapter it was 7:30 in the morning on the 10th of November. Scotland is in a different time zone from the main server. We must be a number of hours ahead of them and it came up with the 9th of November, but for me, I had turned 16 and had received some presents. Thanks for reading, and I had a very good day, thank you

**Eva-Freak015** - Yes, I am now 16. I'm sorry, I cant tell you what I have in mind for the next chapter ('coz I don't know yet)

**Xoni Newcomer** – I didn't really think of it like that, I wrote it so Naruto used the basics for the rasengan to aid him, and to have Neji help him so he could use it with some practical skill. Thanks for reviewing, I will try and keep the realism in mind.

**Out of Sight, Centre of mind**

Chapter seven – Hinata's thoughts (POV)

Naruto-kun looks so cute, so peaceful when he's asleep, even with those bandages covering his beautiful blue eyes. He looks a lot better than he did a few hours ago, I can still feel some of the dampness from his tears on my shoulder. It still pains me that I had to see him that way, but I'm grateful that I was there to help him, I'm thankful that my courage didn't fail me and make me run away. I helped him, and then my dreams came true, my courage held up and I actually told him how I feel, well…he worked it out. But I still cannot believe that we are together now, I have to keep myself from thinking that I'm just going to wake up, like so many times before.

I was surprised when no guards questioned us when we arrived at the estate, in fact I didn't even see any guards. In any case I'm just glad no one came to question us. We walked in without anyone noticing, made our way through the estate without so much as seeing another person, although with a house this big, it's no great accomplishment. With the hour being so late, I thought it would be best if I brought him to my room instead of putting him in a spare room where he might be found. I didn't tell Naruto-kun because I was slightly embarrassed. I guided him to my bed and he lay down. I don't think he had hit the mattress before he fell asleep. No wonder, he must have been emotionally exhausted and his mind needed to recharge, not me however, my mind was moving in too many directions for me to fall asleep, I took the chair from my desk and put it next to the bed. Here I've sat for almost three hours, unable to take my eyes off Naruto-kun. Everyone else in the clan must be asleep by now, aside from those assigned to guard duty, to which I still don't know why they didn't appear and even ask us what we were doing. It was only going to be for tonight, and then we can go see Hokage-sama about Naruto-kun's apartment in the morning. I hope he wakes up early enough, I don't want to have to explain things to father. But at the same time I don't want to wake him too early, he will need every second of sleep in his currant situation.

It's unbelievable how many times Naruto-kun has helped me; giving me courage, cheering me up and giving me purpose. He even saved my life once, he didn't know he had done so, but I am still grateful. It was a couple of weeks ago, I had been insulted by my sister, she got overconfident during one of our sparring matches, I just saw red and I struck her, I broke her nose. She may of deserved it but I still felt terrible, father was furious, he kept on telling me I was a failure, that I do not deserve the title 'Hyuuga' A part of me wanted to scream out that he was wrong, but I couldn't even raise my head to him. I ran, My eyes overflowed with tears, why couldn't I be good enough for the clan, if Hanabi had hit _me_ and broke _my_ nose, Father wouldn't care. Though Hanabi was a little busy at the time to say anything to me, father had taken her to the medics in the house to get her fixed up, I was feeling alone, the pain I felt could almost be compared to Naruto-kun's. I ran. I ran as far as I could and as hard as I could. But that didn't help, the pain, the feelings caught up with me, I couldn't stand it anymore, I would end it that night, I would not live to see another day of pain. I couldn't be anything more than a failure in my family's eyes, I would never amount to anything and worst of all Naruto-kun would never notice me. I collapsed, and completely toppled over onto the dry dirt of a small side street, far away from anything that could endanger my life, I couldn't do anything right. I cried there for I don't know how long. After an unknown amount of time I looked up, and there was the person who I have longed for, for as long as I can remember. The only person I know who had ever given me encouragement that actually helped me. He looked at me, I couldn't really see his eyes clearly, my eyes were teary and it was kind of dark. I didn't want him to see me in this way so I pulled myself into a tight ball on the ground in a vain attempt for him not to see me. Then he sat down on the ground next to my shivering, crying form and put his arm on me. I felt the warmth begin to spread from the spot where his hand lay. I decided that I was strong enough and I sat up but I couldn't bear to face him let alone speak. Then he said something that made me feel whole again, something that made me happy for the first time in a long time

"Its not your fault"

I smiled, I tried to say 'thank you' but I couldn't form any words, A few more tears leaked from my eyes but they were ones of happiness. But as always he understood. He helped me up of the ground and walked me home though I still couldn't say anything. I didn't want to go back home, but then I remembered Naruto-kun's way of life, I realised that I should not run away, that I should stand against it. I went home.

Naruto-kun left at the gates and I walked in alone. I made my way to my room but on the way, I ran into my father. He stared at me for over ten minutes and I forced my head to keep sight of him. But my eyesight couldn't stay on him. Then he spoke.

"Hanabi is alright" He said, and I felt a dull pain throb in my chest once again, is Hanabi all father cares about

"Hinata, You are now old enough and strong enough to receive the training, though it is your own decision" He continued. I was speechless, He had called me strong and even thought I was ready. I pushed my words out with all my might but even then it still sounded weak in my currant state.

"y-y-yes f-father" Without another word he walked away. I decided not to wait and went to my room to sleep. The following days were some of the happiest I had spent in the family. Though few things had actually changed except for my attitude. Hanabi was treating me better due to our little match and I was more confident, father had even stopped calling me a failure, of course he still favoured Hanabi but it was to be expected.

I can't believe that I am going to receive the training from the elders tomorrow, perhaps father will actually look at me with pride after this, I am still very nervous, I can still hear Neji-nii-san's warnings, and thoughts surface within me that maybe I should of listened. But then the image of Naruto-kun appears in my mind and I get filled with strength, then there is no longer any doubt in my mind, I will become stronger, I will be able to protect the ones I care about, The ones I love

Naruto-kun is sleeping peacefully and even snoring slightly, every now and again he twitches and lightly kicks his legs, like Akamaru when he's asleep. It's actually hypnotically cute when he does that. I can really feel a weight on my eyes, It's becoming hard to keep them open. It's as if I'm afraid if I close them then this all might be a dream. Once again I have to tell myself that that is not the truth, Naruto-kun and I are together and he is currently asleep in my bed while I am watching him sleep. I now feel confident that I can go to sleep and he won't disappear, but then a problem rose up to my thoughts that I didn't consider before; where am I going to sleep? I can't exactly get into bed with Naruto-kun, and I can't get to sleep on a chair. I can see no other alternative than to sleep on the floor, I'm going to be sore in the morning though. I get up off the chair and lie down on the rug next to my bed. The floor is uncomfortable but not too much that I wont get any sleep. I curl up on the ground and shut my eyes, feeling very happy with the days events. I can feel myself drifting inside my mind, now almost nothing matters to me, I feel at peace.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun"

**Author's notes: **Sorry for not updating sooner but my life as of the past couple of days kind of went into overdrive, I've just come off a four day weekend. This past Thursday I went golfing for most of the day. Friday; I went shopping (got Need for Speed Underground 2, kick ass game) then played pool for the rest of the day with my mates, Saturday I had to go to the north of Scotland to a town called Buckie (It was FREEZING, It's cold where I live but there was snow up _there_) Didn't get back till the wee hours of Sunday morning and today I had to study for a mid term exam (but I still found time to finish this chapter) And also wouldn't let me log in. So there is my reason for not updating sooner. Be prepared for a long wait before the release of my next chapter.

Till then, this is Scorpio, signing off…


	8. It's a New Day

Author's Notes: Hello once again, everybody. I can't believe it, chapter eight is now up. I had a little trouble writing it. But I managed to finish it in the end. I didn't have loads of free time to write either, what with homework and studying for my exams 

**100th reviewer - **Konosuke15. I wish I could give you something, but I'm afraid this will have to do. THANK YOU!

Okay, long time for an update, I know. But for a while I just couldn't get into the right frame of mind to write. I'm sorry that I cannot write at a speed that suits you all

And because of a loyal reader (Manatheron) I cut this chapter slightly shorter than what I had hoped

Review replies moved to underneath the chapter

I'm glad to see that so many have reviewed, so please continue to do so. Enjoy Out of Sight, Center of Mind 

Chapter eight – It's a New Day

_**The Evening Before**_

Hyuuga Hiashi sat in his study, meditating over the events of the day when a knock sounded on the outside of his door. Hiashi was slightly annoyed at the interruption, but allowed the person to come in

"Enter" He said plainly. The door opened to reveal a medium sized man, wearing a black cloak, His eyes were of Hyuuga birth. The area around his eyes seemed to be permanently marked from overuse of Byakugan. He was a watchman, one of two Hyuuga who stood atop the Hyuuga mansion with their Byakugan active for a full twelve hours at a time, each. They look for any possible threats or events that are worth mentioning. They are in charge of the guards that protect the estate, they inform them of where to go in the event of invasion. In turn, they are commanded by Hyuuga Hiashi himself

"State your purpose, watchman" Hiashi said, his eyes still closed

"Lord Hiashi, Your elder daughter and one companion approach the estate" The watchman said

"Who is the companion?" Hiashi asked, opening his eyes to look at the man that stood in front of him

"Uzumaki Naruto. He and your daughter seem to be walking together" He informed Hiashi

"Explain to me how this event merits your permission to leave your post" Hiashi said, his voice held annoyance

"They have joined hands and the heir is resting her head on the boy's shoulder" The watchman said. Hiashi straightened up and stared daggers into the watchman's weary eyes

"What are your orders, my lord?" The man asked, feeling slightly intimidated. Hiashi sighed, broke eye contact with the watchman and settled into a meditative stance

"Nothing. Inform the guards to stay out of their way, do not give them any hassle, but keep an eye on them just in case" Hiashi ordered, he was didn't like the fact that Hinata had brought Naruto to the house for the second time in one day, but he trusted his daughter enough, not to do anything

"Yes, my lord" The watchman bowed and left the study

'Why does Hiashi-sama allow the heir to be around the demon, he could easily arrange for someone else to be with the Kyuubi brat' The watchman thought as he made his way through the hidden passage ways to his tower

'_I will talk with Hinata tomorrow'_ Hiashi thought

Following Morning 

Naruto awoke sleepily, he couldn't quite remember what had happened the previous evening. Mind you, in the morning Naruto had trouble remembering his own name. As Naruto's memory began to return, he remembered that his apartment was trashed, then he remembered Hinata's words to him. The spark of pain felt when he remembered about his home was washed away as he thought back to Hinata. Naruto took note of the fact that he was lying in a _very_ comfortable bed and that his own bed was not in any state to comfort, Naruto was confused. All became clear however, when he heard the angelic breaths of the girl of his thoughts beside him. Naruto smiled and blushed, as he began to realise where he was. Naruto sat up in the bed he was currently lying in and activated his chakra sense, he still couldn't make out everything to the detail but he was improving. He noted that the barely moving form next to the bed on the ground was Hinata. Naruto was very careful as he stood up that he didn't stand on Hinata. Once he was out of the bed, Naruto crouched down beside Hinata and placed his hand on what he _hoped_ was her shoulder. Once his hand rested on her, he gently shook her

"Hinata-chan, time to get up" Naruto said softly. Hinata groaned and rolled over, clearly she didn't like getting up early

"mmm…Naruto-kun" Hinata said still asleep, Naruto sniggered and blushed once again

"Come on, Hinata-chan, get up already" Naruto was shaking her shoulder slightly harder

"mmm…Narut…Naruto-kun! Oh, I'm sorry" Hinata awoke with a start to the face of the one she loved

"Ah, good. Welcome back to the world of the waking, Hinata-chan, I never would of figured you for a heavy sleeper" Naruto joked. Hinata smiled and abruptly yawned, reminding herself of the early hour

"Good morning, Naruto-kun" Hinata greeted as she got up into a sitting position, rubbing a few bruises that had formed during the night. Hinata leaned to the side to look past Naruto and out of the window, there was not much light outside so it was clear that it could only be a little past six

"Did you sleep well, Hinata-chan?" Naruto offered his hand to her so he could help her to her feet. Hinata took his hand and stood up, her knees feeling slightly stiff and her other joints clicking

"Yes, thank you Naruto-kun" Hinata said

"You know, I should of slept on the floor instead of you" Naruto said, not really knowing what to do or what to say to the girl in front of him who was now his girlfriend

"You needed the bed more than me, besides, it's too late to be worrying about that" Hinata explained

"Fair enough, but if this ever happens again, I must insist that you take the bed" Naruto smiled

"Shall we go to the Hokage's office then?" Hinata suggested, she really wanted to get out of the house before they saw Neji, or worse, her father

"Why?" Naruto asked, feeling confused

"A-about you're apartment, Naruto-kun" Hinata knew she should tread lightly around that particular subject

"Oh! Oh right, well, not this early in the morning, Hell hath no fury like Obachan too early in the morning" Naruto said

"I-In that case, do you need to go back to your home to get anything?" at this point, Hinata was desperate to find a reason to get out of the house before an unfortunate meeting with anyone

"Yeah okay, I should really get back before any stray animals decide to move in" Naruto reasoned. Hinata silently breathed a sigh of relief. Without thinking she took Naruto's hand and moved towards her bedroom door. She made it about two paces before she realised what she had done. A deep blush formed on her face, she turned back to look at Naruto. He didn't seem to mind. Hinata smiled and continued towards her door. Hinata slid open her door and peered out to make sure the hall way was clear

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto wondered why Hinata had stopped again

"Oh, sorry, Naruto-kun" Hinata was almost lost in the softness of Naruto's hand but decided that she should get out of the house before she dwelled on such thoughts. When Hinata decided that there was nobody about she walked forwards, leading Naruto by the hand

"Something wrong Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, confused as to why she was almost dragging him around. Hinata turned her head and realised what she had been doing

"N-nothing's wrong Naruto-kun, I just…would like to make a quick start today" Hinata said. A terrifying thought surfaced in Naruto's mind

"You're ashamed to be seen with me" Naruto said sadly "…it's okay, you wouldn't be the first" Naruto continued his negative thoughts. Hinata's blush faded as she began to feel guilty

"I-it's not that Naruto-kun. I would just like to avoid getting into any arguments with my family about…_us_" Hinata's blush crept beneath her eyes. Naruto adjusted his hand and interlocked his fingers with Hinata's and smiled at her

"Alright, I understand" Naruto said

"I d-did mean what I said last night, Naruto-kun, I-I l-love you" Hinata's blush grew but she managed the words out with ease. Naruto gave his true smile and squeezed her hand in an affectionate way

"I love you too" Naruto replied. He pulled her close for a hug. Hinata felt content in his embrace. She leaned her head against his. Naruto turned his head and kissed her on the cheek, Hinata returned the favour. Naruto pulled his head back slightly as did Hinata so that they were facing one another. Hinata began leaning forward, Naruto could feel her movements and he too began leaning forward. His heart was speeding up, it wouldn't surprise him if his heart now looked like the Rasengan. Hinata was in a similar situation, she didn't know how she got into this, but she wasn't about to stop it, her face was red, her palms were sweaty and her knees could give way at any time, their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breath

"Hinata, a word please" The deep _oh so familiar _voice sounded and shattered Naruto and Hinata's moment together. Naruto was feeling very embarrassed that they had been interrupted and Hinata's 'worst-case scenario' had played out. Her father stood approximately six foot away with his face set in stone looking at the pair of them

"F-f-father!" Hinata's mind went blank

"Boy! Wait in the dining hall, I need to talk with my daughter" Hiashi said. A servant approached Naruto and took his arm. He struggled at first, until Hinata calmed him

"It's okay Naruto-kun, I'll be there shortly" Hinata said as she rubbed his arm. Naruto nodded and allowed himself to be guided away by the servant

After Naruto had been taken away, Hiashi and Hinata stood facing each other, Hinata was feeling very nervous but was determined not to show it.

"Hinata, what is the meaning of this? Why is that boy in this house" Hiashi asked

"I-I have already informed you of my duties to help N-Naruto-kun, during the time of his injuries" Hinata reminded him, being careful not to anger him

"What is he doing _here_?" Hiashi asked again

"His apartment was broken into last night, he had nowhere else to go, so we came here" Hinata applauded herself for not stuttering, although her words were difficult to hear. Hiashi nodded slightly, one of his questions had been answered but one still remained

"What were you and that boy doing just now?" Hiashi asked

"H-he…I-I…we…erm, we are t-together" Hinata explained, any confidence she had been building up had just been broken

"How does the boy feel?" Hinata didn't see why her father was bombarding her with questions

"He loves me, and I l-love him" Hinata confessed quietly. Hiashi wasn't comfortable with the idea of her daughter and the demon child of Konoha as an item, but if it made his daughter happy

"I shall not bar you from seeing each other, but if he treats you with anything less than love and respect then you will be expected to leave him. But know this, you're first obligation is to the duties of the main house, not to some _boy_" Hinata was practically in shock, her father hadn't instantly ordered the beheading of Naruto once he had found out that they were in love, plus the fact that he was concerned for her, it was unwarranted seeing as she knew that Naruto would always treat her right, but she wasn't completely in understanding of what Hiashi meant about her obligations

"I shall talk with the boy, you stay outside the hall until I am done" Hiashi ordered

"Yes father" Hinata was uncomfortable with the idea of Naruto and her father alone, but she guessed that she should be more than grateful that her father was going to allow them to be together

Naruto was sitting at the table in the dining hall, although he had been offered food, he refused and waited in silence for Hiashi

"Boy!" Hiashi's firm voice sounded behind him. Naruto didn't even flinch at the unexpected voice. He merely stood to face the voice. Naruto was feeling alone without Hinata by his side, but he decided that he would get through it

"Can I help you sir?" Naruto asked formally

"How do you feel about my daughter?" Hiashi asked

"I love her" Naruto declared with the most serious voice he had ever used. Hiashi's eyebrow twitched the tiniest amount

'_I had hoped it were not true, that way I could of kept them apart' _Hiashi thought

'_I gave my word to Hinata, now I have no other choice than to allow them to be together' _Hiashi thought

"Do you promise to protect her, even if it costs your own life?" Hiashi asked seriously. Naruto answered instantly, he didn't need to think about it

"I would go through anything to see that Hinata-chan is safe, if giving my life will accomplish this, then I will gladly do it" Naruto said "…I will not take back my words" Naruto saw fit to use his 'way of the ninja'

"I have explained this to Hinata, and I expect you to understand. Hinata is obligated to the Hyuuga, some day it will be up to her to decide the path of which we take. She is not obligated to you. If she is given the inescapable choice between you and the Hyuuga, she will be expected to do right by her family" Naruto didn't like the sound of that, but he knew that he didn't have a choice

"I understand, Hiashi-sama" Naruto forced the words out with a bow

"One last thing, boy. Does Hinata know about your secret?" Hiashi asked. Naruto was surprised

"Yes, she practically forced it out of me, but in the end I chose to tell her, so any consequences that have to be handed out, should be dealt to me" Naruto said. Hiashi nodded in approval

"That will not be necessary, but it is good that you are willing to take responsibility" Hiashi said

"Thank you sir" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief

"Boy! Know and remember this; I believe that you are not worthy of my daughter, but she seems to be happy with you so I will allow it, but you have yet to earn my respect" Hiashi said nothing more and walked out of the dining hall. On his way out he signalled for Hinata to enter

Hinata bowed to her father on his way out, and then ran into the hall, to see Naruto.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata said when she reached him

"huh? Oh, Hinata-chan. That wasn't so bad, he's actually letting us be together" Naruto said happily.

"Shall we leave Naruto-kun?" Hinata suggested

"Yeah, sure. Come on" Hinata took Naruto's hand fearlessly and walked forwards, at a slower pace than before since there was nothing for her to be afraid of anymore. The pair walked through the estate hand in hand, attracting one or two stares from the house servants but not ones of disapproval. After a brisk walk through the estate, Naruto and Hinata walked outside of the house and approached the main gate. This time Hinata saw that there were a few guards around, unlike the night previous. But Hinata wasn't worried, her biggest fear was her father, and he had approved the pairing of the two. The guards glanced down from their posts briefly, but didn't make any kind of motion to show if they cared at all. The pair walked through the open gates that controlled entry to the estate. There were few people out on the street as they moved through the streets towards Naruto's home. Hinata had to admit, ever since Naruto had started using his chakra sense, the task of guiding him was a lot easier

"Hey, Hinata-chan. How are we going to tell everyone about us?" Naruto said out of the blue. Hinata was about to answer until she realized that she had nothing to say. She had never thought about how they were going to tell everyone

"I don't know" Hinata said. Naruto thought about it

"How about we let them figure it out?" Naruto suggested. Hinata wasn't sure but her lack of better ideas, she agreed

"Okay" Hinata said

The two walked for a bit until they arrived at Naruto's house. Like they had done before, they climbed the stairs. Hinata held onto Naruto but it was a loose grip. After his fight the day before, Naruto had absolutely no problems with using his chakra sense to feel the stairs. Naruto still couldn't feel exact shapes with his full body, and it didn't seem t be improving but he figured that it was good enough, besides, if he had any problems he still could use his hands. Naruto stepped off onto the second story landing with Hinata close at his side

"Hey, Hinata-chan? When are you going away to train?" Naruto asked. Hinata turned her head in surprise

'_Oh no! I forgot. And I haven't even read the scroll father gave me' _Hinata thought in worry, feeling the scroll in her equipment pouch

"I, guess I'll head home in the afternoon" Hinata said, "…where are we going to meet Jiraiya-sama?" she asked. Naruto couldn't recall that Jiraiya specified a time to meet them

"He didn't say, I guess I'll just go and meet him when you go to train" Naruto explained

"How will you find him?" Hinata asked. Naruto blushed angrily

"Long story" Naruto put bluntly. Hinata and Naruto approached his apartment door. Feelings of deja-vu surfaced as she saw another note attached to the door frame, though this one was put up with a pin, not a kunai

"Naruto-kun…there's another note" Hinata was afraid of what the note might say. She looked at Naruto whose face had gone blank

"What does it say?" he asked unemotionally

"It's your notice of eviction, you little brat!" A stern female voice came from behind them. Hinata turned to look at the woman. She was a small and thin woman, who had very grey hair

"Who the hell are you!" Naruto said angrily, not liking this woman who had barged in

"I 'the hell' am your land lady, Brat!" The woman spat. Naruto looked confused

"I have a land lady?" Naruto asked. The woman narrowed her eyes

"Not anymore. You haven't paid rent in three months, as if that weren't bad enough, I come and find that your apartment is a tip" The woman was clearly angry

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Rent? I have never paid rent, since when do I have to pay rent?" Naruto asked

"_You_ didn't pay rent, but the Third did, every month he'd arrange for some money to be paid to me, and I let you stay. But the Third has passed on, and now, no one is paying me anything, so you are officially evicted, you have till the end of the day to remove your things and leave before I put this place up for rent" The land lady explained

"This is totally unfair, I didn't know about this, you should have told me about it" Naruto was getting angrier. Hinata squeezed his hand softly

"Naruto-kun, please calm down" Hinata whispered in his ear, she didn't want him to get too worked up. Naruto let out a breath

"What if I start paying you rent, will that satisfy you?" Naruto asked

"No, I don't want you in my building" The old women said

"You can't do that, you have no right, if I…"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT! This apartment block belongs to me, and I exercise my right to refuse anyone I don't want. Now, unless you're going to get your belongings, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BUILDING!" The women was clearly angry

"Your lucky I can't see or you'd be sorry. I'll be back, Hag" Naruto said angrily, he turned on his heel and walked towards the stairs. Hinata quickly caught up to Naruto and carefully grabbed his arm in an attempt to slow him down before he might fall down the stairs

"Naruto-kun?"

"That damn hag, She has no right. Where the hell am I going to stay?" Naruto asked

"Let's go see the Hokage" Hinata suggested

"Alright, alright. Sorry Hinata-chan, it just pisses me off when they hold…'Him' against me" Naruto said as he rubbed his seal. Hinata nodded in understanding

"You shouldn't worry about it Naruto-kun, I don't" Hinata said. Naruto didn't say anything but did smile softly. Hinata let go of Naruto's arm and took hold of his hand

"Maybe Hokage-sama can do something about your apartment" Hinata suggested as she put her hand on the stair rail. Naruto sensed the stairs and put his other hand on the rail, like Hinata did.

"Suppose you're right" Naruto said as he slowly descended the stairs "…what time is it?" Naruto asked. Hinata turned her head to look at a clock on the wall

"A quarter-to-nine" Hinata said. Naruto nodded his head

"It's gonna be a long day" He sighed

After the two had left the apartment building they walked through the streets to the Hokage office. Even although Naruto could use his Chakra sense to avoid obstacles, he had no sense of direction in his sightless state and thus, needed Hinata to guide him. Before too long they arrived at the Hokage office building. After entering they headed straight to Tsunade's office. Hinata assumed that Tsunade would be asleep so she didn't bother knocking and just walked in with Naruto. What she saw, shocked her. Tsunade was awake and actually doing her work

"Don't you know how to knock?" Tsunade asked slightly irritated

"I-I'm s-sorry, Hokage-sama" Hinata apologised.

"Have a seat then" Tsunade noticed that the pair were holding hands, she quickly figured that they were now more than friends. She smiled to herself

"So what do you two want?" Tsunade asked with a devious smile after they had sat down. Hinata felt very uncomfortable with the Hokage's attention on her

"Someone trashed my apartment last night and I was blamed and evicted this morning" Naruto put bluntly. The lighthearted attitude quickly vanished from the legendary sucker

"What?" Tsunade was shocked "…what happened?"

"Don't you listen, I just told you" Naruto said trying to prevent Tsunade from making too big a deal out of it

"Who did it?" She asked

"W-we don't know" Hinata said, though that was the half-truth. She suspected that it was the two men that she saw, but she didn't know their names nor if they were involved at all

"I need somewhere to stay, I think that's the priority" Naruto said

"Right, right. Listen, I'll find you a new apartment, I'll send someone to pick up you're belongings" Tsunade explained

"Hey! Can't you just "Persuade" That hag of a landlady to let me stay where I am? I like my apartment" Naruto complained

"Sorry kid, Even if I order that women to let you stay, there's nothing to stop the people who did this from coming back" Said Tsunade regretfully

"Can I at least choose my apartment?" Naruto asked. Tsunade pretended to think about it

"No" She answered. Naruto's eyebrow twitched and a vein popped out his forehead

"Why the hell not!? It's gonna be my apartment, I should choose!" Naruto shouted angrily

"Naruto! I can't just let you choose where you want to stay. The places in this village that would actually allow your presence are few and far between. Not many people are happy with letting the container…" Tsunade cut herself off before she spilled Naruto's secret to Hinata

"It's alright Obachan, Hinata-chan knows" Naruto explained "…She's cool with it" Tsunade was surprised at Naruto

"You actually told someone about it? Do you know how much trouble you could get into?" Tsunade asked

"I'd trust Hinata-chan with my life, I decided that this was something she needed to know" Naruto said before he felt Hinata's hand come to rest on top of his

"What about everyone else?" Tsunade enquired. Naruto shook his head

"They don't know"

"You should tell them, they have a right to know as well" Tsunade said

"You just said I could get into a lot of trouble if I told anyone" Naruto was puzzled at Tsunade's suggestion

"You've already told one person, the punishment can't be increased per head you tell" Tsunade explained "…don't worry about it, being in a position of power as I am in, I will make sure neither you nor anyone you wish to tell is punished"

"Thanks" Naruto said gratefully

"When I find an apartment for you, I'll send someone to show you it, and I don't care if you don't like it. You don't have to look at it. You're blind, remember?" Tsunade pointed out

"Nothing gets past you Obachan" Naruto stated sarcastically

"Don't tempt me" Tsunade clenched her fist "…Just stay out of trouble if that's possible" Tsunade warned

"I'll try" Naruto grinned as he stood up, but he quickly sat back down again as if he lost his balance

"Naruto-kun! What's wrong?" Hinata asked worried. Tsunade quickly analysed Naruto, she knew what was going on

"Nothing, just feeling a little light-headed" Naruto rubbed his head

"You've been overusing the chakra-sense, Haven't you?" Hinata turned to look at Tsunade in surprise

"How do you know I'm using the Chakra-sense? I don't remember telling you" Naruto said

"I created the technique, Idiot! I can feel the chakra that you are emitting, plus the fact that Hinata is putting little-to-no effort in guiding you around. You're light headed because you're beginning to run low on Chakra" Tsunade explained, Naruto didn't fully understand, but he got the basics

"Give your body a rest, and rely on your "friend" Hinata-chan to help you out" Tsunade instinctively winked, she barely realised she had done it. Though Naruto couldn't see the wink, Hinata did and blushed heavily

"n-naruto-kun? S-shall we g-go?" Hinata said quietly

"yeah, come on. Catch you later Obachan" Naruto stood up without the help of the chakra sense, Hinata took his arm and led him out of the room

"As if I have a choice, Brat!" Tsunade descended back into her paperwork. Naruto and Hinata exited the office and proceeded out of the building

"Where do you want to go now Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked

"I don't mind, I suppose we could go find Sasuke and Sakura-chan again, I gotta tell them about Kyuubi" Naruto said nervously. Hinata understood Naruto's nervousness but had every confidence that his team mates wouldn't change their opinion of Naruto through the actions of the demon.

Naruto and Hinata walked through the streets to nowhere in particular, just hoping that they would run into them, like they have everyone else. Naruto was getting used to the chakra sense and now he had to go back to no coordination. Every so often he would catch his foot on a rock that was sticking out of the ground. The two were half way down a street and Hinata felt like she was being followed, she looked behind her to see a perfectly rectangular rock scuffling across the dirt. Naruto was about to ask what was wrong when a small explosion went off inside the box revealing three little coughing kids

"I can't believe it, you got it wrong again" The self appointed leader, Konohamaru said to the others before looking up. The three kids were moments away from doing their introduction before Naruto stopped them. Even without his sight and chakra sense he could tell what was going on

"STOP!" The kids looked at him in disappointment, they loved doing their introduction "…We've heard enough introductions already" Naruto said, remembering Jiraiya's intro. dance the day before. Konohamaru was the first to notice Naruto's blindfold

"Naruto- nii-chan? Why do you have a blind fold on?" Konohamaru asked

"I'm blind" Naruto said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Konohamaru turned to his two friends and quietly discussed something. After they had finished he turned back around

"We have decided to help you out Naruto-nii-chan" Konohamaru said. The thought kind of scared Naruto, who knows where he might lead him

"No thanks, Isn't Iruka-sensei meant to be teaching you guys?"

"He's away on a mission so we have time off, and we will use that time to aid you" Konohamaru declared

"I've got Hinata-chan here to help me" Naruto tilted his head to Hinata. The three kids finally noticed Hinata

"Hey, she's cute. Good work!" Konohamaru praised "…She's a lot prettier than that thick foreheaded ugly girl" Naruto beamed with pride. Hinata blushed, but heard a plate smash from within one of the houses on the street. She looked around from house to house and finally realised where they were

'_uh oh!' _She thought

"I agree, I like her a lot better than the other one" Udon said

"She may be gorgeous compared to the pink haired bitch, but both of you are nothing compared to me" Moegi said. She had barely finished talking when one of the doors on the street burst off the hinges to reveal a livid Haruno Sakura

"YOU LITTLE BRATS, I'LL KILL YOU!" Sakura was running at full velocity towards the Konohamaru corps.

"SCATTER!" Konohamaru shouted before the three of them ran in opposite directions, leaving an absolutely flaming Sakura ready to punch through a wall. Hinata _very _cautiously moved towards Sakura, leading a very reluctant Naruto

"Uhmm, S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata said, while keeping a distance. Sakura turned her head and noticed the two. Her bad temper dissipated at seeing two of her best friends

"Hiya you two" Sakura said sweetly. Hinata felt uncomfortable with a sudden mood change "…something I can help you with?" Sakura asked

"N-Naruto-kun has something to tell you and Sasuke-kun" Hinata said seriously. Sakura looked at Naruto and nodded. She turned her head towards her house

"SASKUE-KUN! COME OUT HERE" She shouted. Naruto and Hinata raised their eyebrows in surprise

"Must you always shout?" Sasuke came out of Sakura's broken front door

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked

"He's helping me train" Sakura said quickly and defensively. Naruto could barely contain himself and let out a few sniggers

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked annoyed. Naruto stopped sniggering and went serious

"Is there somewhere we can sit down?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked at Sasuke then back to Naruto, sure, come inside" She turned around and went inside. Hinata guided Naruto in after her.

Once they had all sat down, Sakura and Sasuke turned their total attention on Naruto. Hinata was sitting next to Naruto with her hand on his. Sakura made a mental note to ask her about it later

"What is it you want to talk about Naruto?" Sakura asked. Naruto mentally prepared himself

"The reason why the entire village hates me" This grabbed the attention of both Sasuke and Sakura

"You of course know about the incident some twelve years ago. When the Kyuubi attacked" Naruto paused

"That was the attack that killed my father" Sakura said weakly, a tear forming at the corner of each eye. Naruto couldn't believe how hard it got, Sakura rarely talked about her family. Now he found out that within him held the demon that not only killed many leaf ninjas but also killed her father

"The fourth defeated it by sealing it in a newborn" Naruto explained

"Then the child died, right?" Sasuke said, remembering the story he was told. Naruto shook his head

"The child still lives" Naruto said "…me" he put simply. Both Sakura and Sasuke were in equal levels of shock. To Sasuke, everything about Naruto's life made almost perfect sense, but he knew that it wasn't his fault, he thought along the lines that Hinata did. Though Sakura didn't

"You killed my father" She spoke with a quiet but harsh voice. Sasuke and Hinata raised their heads to Sakura

"It's your fault that I don't have a father" Sakura was trying to make sense of what Naruto told her, but it all came out as blame

"Sakura, it's not Naru…" Sasuke began saying

"SHUT UP!" Sakura shouted. If it weren't for the situation he would have been surprised that Sakura raised her to a shout _at _him. Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto

"I see now why my mother hates you. Just get out" Sakura said angrily

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto sounded hurt

"I GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Sakura shouted through clenched teeth

"but" Naruto barely had a chance to talk before he felt a sharp sting across his face, Sakura had struck him. Even though it wasn't much, it still managed to hurt him more than anything else in the world. Hinata was on her feet in seconds in front of Naruto, pushing Sakura back in the process

'_How dare she hit Naruto-kun, it wasn't his fault. And she blames him for it? She thinks the world revolves around her. She's not the only one to loose someone in that attack' _Hinata thought. Sakura backed down from a very protective Hinata that would not budge. So instead Sakura collapsed on a chair. Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off. Sasuke looked up at Hinata who had not moved. He tilted his head to signal to follow him. Hinata helped Naruto to his feet and they walked outside

Once they were outside Sasuke turned to them

"Sakura doesn't understand, give her some space, I'll try and explain things to her" Sasuke said. Naruto nodded

"Do your best Sasuke-kun" Hinata said before guiding Naruto away. Sasuke turned around and walked back into Sakura's home

'_This could be difficult' _he thought to himself

Hinata wasn't taking Naruto in particular, she was just walking for the sake of walking, they had walked for an hour or two, but they didn't really notice the time pass, they had walked clean across Konoha and back again without a word. Hinata didn't know what to say, she didn't know if she should say anything. But she was determined to try and make him feel better

"Uhmm…Naruto-kun? Would you like to get some ramen?" Hinata asked, figuring that a bowl of his favourite food would help him…even if only slightly

"no thanks" Naruto replied quietly

'_what else does Naruto-kun like to do?'_ Hinata thought to herself. Then a thought surfaced

"Maybe you could tell me about another one of your missions?" She suggested. Hinata knew that Naruto loved to tell stories of his missions, almost as much as Hinata loved hearing them from him

"Hinata-chan, I know what you're trying to do and I thank you, but it's not going to work" Naruto said. Hinata hung her head in failure, but raised it quickly. She would not give up

"Please Naruto-kun, There must be something I can do" Hinata said

"No, this was my fault. I was stupid to think that People would accept me after they found out the truth" Hinata didn't want to hear this from Naruto

"How can you think that? I have accepted you, Sasuke-kun has accepted you, I have known Kiba-kun and Shino-kun for a long time and I know that they wouldn't care about it. Everyone that you call friend will accept you for who you are" Hinata tried desperately to get her point across. For the briefest moment, Hinata saw a smile take over Naruto's face. To her, this was a victory. Even if they were still walking around aimlessly and silently.

It was sometime later until Hinata managed to get Naruto to stop. Coincidently, they stopped at team seven's meeting bridge. Hinata noticed and decided not to tell Naruto in fear of a reminder. As she looked around she noticed two people approaching, one with blue hair, one with pink. Instinctively she tightened her grip on Naruto, she would be ready to defend him against Sakura in case she tried to start something. Hinata noticed that Sakura was not looking angry but guilty. She tried to turn around at least twice but Sasuke made her keep moving. It wasn't long before they were standing on the bridge

"Naruto, Sakura has something to say" Sasuke said while motioning to Sakura. Naruto and Hinata turned so that they both were facing them. Sakura moved forward and put her arms around Naruto's neck and cried on his shoulder

"I'm sorry, I-I'm so, so sorry" Sakura cried into his ear. Naruto used his free arm to return the hug that Sakura was giving him

"Don't worry about it" He said happily. Hinata saw his smile and was happy that he was feeling better, though ever so slightly jealous. Sakura broke away from Naruto while wiping her tears

"I'm sorry I blew up at you Naruto, It was just a lot to take in, is all" Sakura explained

"I said it's fine" Naruto said "…Hey! Why don't we go do something together?"

"Sorry, can't, Kakashi-sensei said that he had a minor mission for us today" Sakura said regretfully

"I thought you had the week off" Naruto asked

"Try telling that to Kakashi" Sasuke said. Naruto sniggered

"Ah well, me and Hinata-chan can still do something together, right?" Hinata blushed in embarrassment

"Sorry N-Naruto-kun, I've got to go home to train" Hinata said. Naruto's face fell

"Can you at least take me to the hot springs, so I can meet up with ero-sennin?" Naruto asked

"Hey, that's where we're going to meet Kakashi-sensei, we can take you" Sakura said

"Why is he at the hot springs?" Hinata asked Naruto and Naruto asked Sakura simultaneously

"He's a pervert" was Naruto's response

"Your guess is as good as mine" was Sakura's

"Alright" Naruto said, he turned to Hinata "Come find me later, okay. Good luck" Naruto wished

"Thank you" Hinata bowed before unlinking arms with Naruto. As Hinata dropped contact, Naruto had a mischievous idea. He gently pulled Hinata's arm towards him. For a brief moment he activated his Chakra sense so he could get his bearings. He locked onto his target and pecked Hinata on the lips before allowing her to walk off. Hinata felt her knees go weak and her mind go blank, she slowly walked towards her house and couldn't help but smile. Sakura's jaw was hanging loose, even Sasuke looked surprised. Naruto would of paid anything in the world just to see their faces after he kissed Hinata. Though he really enjoyed the kiss. Without thinking, Naruto began walking. Three paces later…he walked into a lamppost, which completely shattered the mood. Sakura snapped out of it and pounced on Naruto

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" She squealed while pulling Naruto to his feet

"You didn't ask" Naruto responded. Sakura's reaction was to scrape her knuckles across Naruto's head in a friendly way

"Come on, lets go" Sasuke sounded annoyed. He began walking, Sakura noticed and took a rough hold of one of Naruto's arms to guide him. Even although Sakura's hold gave him guidance, he still preferred when Hinata helped him

"When did you guys get together then?" Sakura asked, eager for the gossip

"Last night" Naruto's voice dropped in volume as he remembered back to the incidents of the previous night. "…after Obachan had replaced my bandages Hinata-chan took me home, what was left of it. Some people broke in and trashed the place, and left a note saying that I was hated by the village. But Hinata-chan was there, she made me feel good about myself again by telling me that she didn't care…that she loved me" Naruto explained, his voice changing from a sad voice to a happy one

"You're apartment got trashed?" Sakura asked

"I've already spoken to Obachan about it, she's doing something about it" Naruto said

"Okay. I'm just glad Hinata finally told you how she felt" Sakura said

"Finally? What do you mean 'Finally'? did you know about this?" Naruto asked

"Idiot! I told you, you were blind. You can't see the obvious" Sasuke said with a smug smile

"_That's _what you meant!? Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Naruto asked. Sasuke thought of a way to piss off Naruto

"You didn't ask" He put simply, copying the exact way Naruto said it to Sakura. Various veins popped out of Naruto's fore head

"You! If I weren't blind…!" Naruto shaked a fist at Sasuke. Sakura used her free arm and pushed Naruto's fist slightly so that he was shaking his fist _at _Sasuke

'_Damn it'_ Naruto thought in anger that he couldn't pin point the location of sounds

"Where did Hinata-chan go, Naruto?" Sakura asked, she didn't have an opportunity to ask before.

"Oh, she went home. She's gonna get some training. She'll meet me later when she's finished" Naruto said

"What about tomorrow" Sakura asked

"What about it?" Naruto didn't know what Sakura meant

"Is she going to train tomorrow?" Sakura asked. That thought had never entered his mind. He had just assumed she would train for one day and be done with it

'_I'll ask her about it later'_ Naruto thought

"I don't know" he answered. Team seven had been walking for a while, they began to see the hot springs. At first no one was around. Then Sasuke and Sakura saw Kakashi come out of the building, reading his book. As they approached Sakura wondered what the _mission_ was

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called out. Kakashi's eye looked up then back down at his book

"Kakashi, what's the miss…" Sasuke was asking, but Kakashi held up his hand to stop him. This was to give him time to finish the page. Once he had, he brought out a Pakkun book mark and placed it in the book before returning it to his ninja pouch

"Ah, Naruto! Good to see you" Kakashi said cheerfully

"That makes one of us" Naruto replied. Kakashi smiled

"Okay you two. Get to work" Kakashi said simply, ready to whip out his book again

"Hold on! What are we doing?" Sakura asked

"Ah! Well you see. I was soaking in the hot spring. And a thought occurred that my dogs needed a wash. So I summoned them all in the hot spring water. They had fun. Any way, once they were all clean, I let them go. But on my way out, the manager stopped me. Apparently my dogs are moulting and their hair is clogging up the filter system. So they wanted me to unclog it. But I decided that it was worth a mission for my subordinates" Kakashi explained. He had brought out his book during the story without anyone noticing

"You want us to clean up after your dogs!?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Naruto attempted to sneak away

'_If I can make it to the hand rail, then I can make it to the women's side and find the pervert'_ Naruto planned. He was tip toeing away, when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder

"You're not going anywhere Naruto" Sakura said "…as a part of team seven, you have to help us complete this mission"

"Hell No!" Naruto said. Kakashi nodded his head

"Sorry Sakura, you and Sasuke have to do this alone. Naruto is on the inactive list and does not have to do missions if he doesn't want to" Kakashi said. Sakura was severely annoyed at Kakashi. Naruto had used the time to his advantage and sneaked off down the path to where the pervert "probably" is

As Naruto approached the women's side he heard the perverted laugh that he heard near enough every day when he was training with Jiraiya

"Hey! Ero-sennin!" Naruto said unnecessarily loud. What he heard next were a combination of screams, slaps and girls running away

"What did I ever do to you?" Jiraiya said while hitting him repeatedly over the head

"You got what you deserved" Naruto justified while trying in vain to stop Jiraiya from hitting him. The old ninja eventually stopped hitting Naruto

"So what have I done for you to honour me with you're presence?" Jiraiya asked sarcastically

"Yesterday, you decided that you would help me around today" Naruto reminded. Jiraiya took a moment to answer

"…no" Jiraiya didn't feel like going around with Naruto, even if for a little while

"Come on lets go train" Naruto said eagerly

"Tsunade told me not to take you training in your condition" He had given Naruto a chance

"I thought you weren't going to take me today. That can't be true if Obachan has given you some ground rules" Naruto said, faking curiosity

"Damn you, Naruto" Jiraiya said, giving Naruto yet another bonk on the head

Hinata was beginning to feel nervous. She had busied herself by reading the scroll her father gave her. But this didn't help her confidence very much. The techniques described on the scroll were complex at best. Mind-boggling at worst

'_Neji-nii-san was right. If I am not careful, I could severely injure myself' _Hinata thought. Fortunately for her, there wasn't anything that she needed to do to prepare. The scroll just told her how to mould and release her chakra for the techniques that she would learn. It wasn't long before her home came into view. Hinata's stomach was twisting itself into knots. She wasn't sure if she could do it. Before her realisation, Hinata had passed through the main gates to the Hyuuga estate. How she wished that the training session would pass as quickly. She saw that the guards noticed her, and she saw the hand gestures that the guards use to communicate to the watchmen, no doubt to inform her father that she had arrived. She walked through the central path that leads to the rear training grounds. When she arrived she saw a lot of training tools; wooden training logs, blunted kunai and shuriken, soldier pills and a life size mannequin, it was the exact build and shape of a human body, on it were marked every tenketsu on the body. As if she didn't feel intimidated enough, all this equipment made her feel worse. As she continued to look around she took notice of the man who would train her sitting on the ground meditating, Hyuuga Hiato. Deciding not to waste any time, she took off her jacket to reveal her purple training robes. A servant took her coat and her sandals as she approached the elderly man. Once she stood in front of him, she took a bow

"G-Good day, Hiato-sama" Hinata said formally, She cursed herself for showing weakness in front Hiato. Hiato nodded to her

"Shall we begin?" the balding man said. "…I trust you have read the scroll that was given to you" Hinata nodded in conformation

"Before I train you, I must decide how much stronger you have grown since last I saw" Hiato said. Hinata didn't like the sound of that

"So…" He walked into a large circle with the yin-yang symbol decorating it. Hiato stood on one of the two parallel lines in the circle. Hinata assumed she had to stand at the other. Once she stood on the line, Hiato continued what he was saying

"…come at me with everything you have, prove to me that you are stronger" Hinata clenched every muscle in her body to keep from shaking. She was expected to fight an elder teacher

"Come!" Hiato said. Hinata activated her Byakugan and ran towards Hiato while keeping a defensive stance. Hinata out stretched her left arm, she was within range of Hiato. Her left foot came to the ground and stopped, her right foot stopped in front of her left hand she brought back her left arm and pushed her right arm forward, charging it with chakra. It would have been a powerful strike, had it connected. But Hiato grabbed her wrist before it did any damage. Hiato gave a small laugh at Hinata's expense. Hinata began to anger, like she did to Hanabi a few weeks before. An image of Naruto appeared in her mind as she struggled to get out of Hiato's grip, then a second image of him in his blind state being beaten up by a group of thugs…alone

'_I have to become stronger so that I can protect him if that ever happens'_ Hinata thought with determination. She continued her effort to get back her right arm but to no avail. Hinata quickly thought of a plan, remembering what she was taught by her father, she gathered a small amount of chakra into her left hand, faster then you could blink she connected with Hiato's hand, the one that gripped her arm. She saw one of Hiato's eyes twitch in pain, his hand began to loosen as it lost strength from the hit. Hinata brought her arm out of his weakening grip and jumped back

"Not bad, you have some skill, certainly better than last time I saw you. You're ready for the first segment of the training" Hiato said

Naruto had been sitting on a bench, impatiently twiddling the knot of his headband while Jiraiya was running back and forth trying to pick up hot girls

"I could have been doing more interesting things than this" He said to himself. He heard another smack and even more curses from the perverted old man

"Hey ero-sennin! Let's do something else" Naruto shouted, unable to sit there any longer

"What! I'm making progress with…no wait! A plan has formed in my brilliant mind. We go back to the hot springs, you wander into the women's changing area claiming that you lost you're way because of you're sight, then I come in and…"

"No!" Naruto was getting very annoyed

'_I wish I was going around with the fuzzy-eyebrows' _Naruto thought in regret

"Aww, come on, it'll be fun" Jiraiya trying to persuade

"A no, means a 'No!' alright. It doesn't mean, 'ask me again and again until I give in' It doesn't matter how long you try this you're just gonna get the same response from every girl" Naruto sounded extremely bored and at the same time furious

"Can't we just go get something to eat?" Naruto asked hopefully. A glint shined in Jiraiya's eye

"Of course we can" Jiraiya grabbed Naruto by the collar and brought him to his feet roughly "…now, walk" He threw Naruto a few feet in front of him. Jiraiya had managed to get Naruto to walk without the aid of someone else

'_I could use my chakra sense but Obachan told me not to'_ Naruto thought he precariously took step after step

"Today would be nice" Jiraiya criticised the speed that Naruto was walking

"Turn to you're right, blindy" Jiraiya poked fun. Naruto turned and shouted

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Naruto didn't care too well for the nickname Jiraiya had given him. On the way to the food stand, Jiraiya had made Naruto trip over objects on the ground, walk into a fence and walk through a huge pile of dog dropping. Naruto was ready to kill. At first, Naruto was inwardly grateful that the old man wasn't treating him like a cripple but this was just getting ridiculous. Naruto made it to the food stand in one piece. Fortunately, Jiraiya had made Naruto walk through a puddle to wash off the dog crap so that the smell did not linger. Naruto found his way to a stool, refusing guidance by his "guide" Once he was sitting, Naruto did not say a word. Jiraiya came in and signalled for two bowls. The perverted old man still smiled at his brilliant idea of revenge. The food arrived in record time

"Whoa! They killed the three-minute waiting time" Naruto said with glee. Reaching for the chopsticks. Jiraiya decided not to play "move the chopstick cup" with Naruto and handed it to him. Naruto snatched it and pulled out some. Quickly breaking them apart. He gripped the bowl firmly and dug his chopsticks in and put it in his mouth as fast as possible, he had reached his third mouth full when he realised the disgusting taste

"What the hell is this?" Naruto asked, his mouth full. Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's face after he gave him the news

"Fruit salad" He said. Naruto's face contorted in misery and disgust as he removed what was in his mouth. Jiraiya snapped, and howled

"Where the hell are we?" Naruto asked, after Jiraiya had calmed down

"Salad bar" Jiraiya said

"You deceitful asshole!" Naruto spat viciously. To which Jiraiya sniggered "…you know I hate salad and fruit"

"Yeah, I know" Jiraiya said proudly. Naruto had images of jumping on Jiraiya's crotch with sandals made of rock

"I am sooooo gonna kill you" Naruto said as he stood up. Jiraiya left a sum of money on the counter top then stood and pushed Naruto outside

"When's Hinata gonna get done" Naruto asked himself

Hinata had just collapsed for the second time, she was using large amounts of her Chakra at almost a constant rate. Her skin was covered in red bruises from the overuse of her tenketsus. Whereas Hiato stood, not a hair out of place from the moment Hinata saw him

'_Hiato-sama is indeed strong, but I must not show weakness' _Hinata thought, she forced her muscles to move, she would of used some chakra to give her a little boost but she knew that her Chakra levels were dangerously low, and that she had to save every last bit of it. Hiato watched as Hinata raised herself from the ground. She eventually made it to her feet and returned to the Jyuuken stance. Though she felt relatively defenceless if Hiato chose to attack. He smiled as he watched Hinata

'_She is exactly how Hiashi once was, she will be a good clan head…though she has a way to go'_ Hiato thought

"Congratulations Hinata-sama, you have completed the first segment of the training, the second segment will be taught to you in a few days by me. The third and final segment will be taught by your father" Hiato explained. Hinata was close to collapsing, her arms felt like mountains were weighing them down. She felt the acid burn in every muscle of her body. But despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, she was proud of herself, Very proud of herself for proceeding in the training. If there was any doubt about her advancement in the past few months, this was proof that she had grown. After Hiato had dismissed her, Hinata picked up her jacket –with some difficulty- and headed towards her room. She walked in and closed the door. Hinata dropped her jacket and collapsed on her bed, not daring to move. She didn't know how long she lay there, with barely enough energy to think. Hinata heard the door open and someone come. She took the Shikamaru way of looking at things, "it's too troublesome to look" The person came into her eyesight. It was Hanabi

"You did well out there Hinata" She said. Hinata smiled

"Thanks" she said.

"You were pretty amazing out there, I never thought you had it in you" Hanabi said surprised

"Sometimes you act like the older sister, Hanabi" Hinata quietly said. Hanabi smiled and took note that Hinata was trying not to move

"Does it hurt?" She asked in concern. Hinata twitched her head in a way that could be described as a nod

"Everywhere from the hair down" Hinata smiled. You should get up and go for a walk. Hinata groaned thinking that was a terrible idea

"Where's you're boyfriend?" Hanabi asked teasingly. Hinata sharply turned her head causing new worlds of pain for her. She had almost forgotten about Naruto, she had to go now. Hinata took a sharp intake of breathe to prepare for the pain that she would feel as she rolled out of her bed. Her legs touched the ground…and it hurt. Hinata shakily stood up

"Jacket please" Hanabi got a clean jacket out of Hinata's closet at her request and handed it to her. Hinata put it on, she was getting used to the pain

"Don't overdo it" Hanabi suggested, she walked out the room. Hinata smiled and left. Out of the door, out of the house then out of the main gates. Hinata Still had the red bruises on her body. She then realised a problem. Where would Naruto be?

After his "meal" Jiraiya had dragged Naruto around, chasing any young women who showed off any skin, trying to win sympathy by using Naruto. Naruto –needless to say- was sick of it, he was close to bolting it. But he knew that it was a bad idea

"Come on ero-sennin, give it up already, you've been at this for far too long" Naruto said feeling extremely bored, even the novelty of being guided into things was getting more boring than infuriating. The streets around them were becoming quieter by the hour. Naruto was listening to the sounds around them. The incoherent chatter of passers by, the evening breeze the scuffle of his feet and that of stray leaves across the dirt path, even the occasional loose stone that he would accidentally kick, he would listen to it skip, roll and come to a rest

'_There's no way I would find this interesting a few weeks ago, I need to listen more'_ Naruto thought. Suddenly, the unmistakeable aroma of gods gift to Naruto: Ramen. Naruto was freely drooling. It hadn't occurred to him how little he had been eating. Naruto didn't want to break orders by leaving Jiraiya but the concept of freshly cooked Ramen was much more appealing than walking around with a pervert

_How am I going to get in without any direction. Oh well, if in doubt, follow your nose'_ Naruto thought. Jiraiya was long gone and Naruto was almost imitating a dog, sniffing around, he walked around and around, the smell was getting stronger

'_left' _Naruto turned to his left and walked forward. His head hit some fabric

'_man, am I lucky or what? This is the Ichiraku, unless my sense of Ramen is failing me' _Naruto drooled. He walked forward and sat in a stool. Unfortunately, someone was sitting in that particular stool, much to Naruto's embarrassment. The person had finished their meal and left. Naruto was now the only customer in. He sat down

"Welcome" The owner said "…is everything alright? I didn't see you this morning"

"I didn't see a thing this morning" Naruto joked. The owner laughed

"The usual?" Ayame the waitress asked

"If it wasn't then it would be the unusual" Naruto was trying too hard for laughs. Hearing the lack of laughter

"gimmie a break, I've just been lead across Konoha by the legendary pervert" Ayame smiled as did the owner

"The usual coming up" He said. Naruto sat there alone, missing Hinata's company, missing anyone's company really, but preferring to have Hinata's. Naruto reached for the chopstick cup, it was in its normal place so Naruto didn't have to look for it. He removed a set and broke them apart, quickly digging in. Naruto was doing quite well, a hell of a lot better than the first time he tried it after he lost his sight, though from time to time he would miss a strand, but it was to be expected. Once Naruto had finished the noodles and drank all the water that was left he contemplated over ordering another. He didn't feel hungry anymore, something unheard of when speaking about Naruto. Then again, if he didn't order again then where would he go?

'_I suppose I could just go walk about' _Naruto thought

Naruto stood up from the stool, he tried to get his bearings, he turned around and stepped towards the door

'_This is gonna be difficult' _He thought in annoyance. He heard someone enter the stand. The person's presence felt familiar to Naruto. He didn't get much more thought in as he felt hands on his neck and someone's lips pressed against his own. Naruto was taken completely off guard, though the kiss was amazing. The person broke away, much to Naruto's disappointment. He licked his lips quickly, it was a unique taste, one which he had only tasted once before

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked hopefully

"Good evening, Naruto-kun" He heard Hinata's voice. When Naruto heard this he felt extremely happy

"I'm sorry that I took longer than I said" Hinata bowed, she had been waiting all day to do that, after Naruto had kissed her before she left. Naruto smiled

"That's okay, it's not like I didn't have a fun day" Naruto said, deciding that telling Hinata of his boring day, it would just make her feel guilty. "…come on lets go"

Hinata locked her arm with Naruto's and guided him out. Naruto not only felt comfortable with Hinata, he trusted her completely, trusted her not to make him walk through dog crap

"Have you been shown your new apartment yet?" Hinata asked

"Not yet" Naruto was still smiling "…Did your training go well?"

"Yes, my teacher was strict but he acknowledged that I was capable. The next training session will be within a few days" Hinata informed, Naruto felt slightly disappointed, though he was happy about Hinata getting stronger, he wasn't happy about going another day without her. They walked for a little while, Naruto talking about the day's events. Slightly altered in the ero-sennin department. He told her about Sakura's reaction and how he wished he could have seen her face and how Jiraiya tricked him into eating a salad, Hinata giggled at this

"Well, I'm just happy you're back" Naruto said, pulling Hinata closer to him as they walked

"Thank you. I'm a bit tied and sore from training but I'm glad I came to find you" Hinata said, still feeling the pain from earlier. The amount of people on the street had decreased, so that they were among the few that were still out. Naruto was focusing his concentration into his hearing, since it was his only form of guidance excluding Hinata, to whom Naruto was thankful. They walked for the sake of walking, having nowhere to be or to go, they just walked, enjoying each other's company and exchanging stories of missions. Naruto was busy telling a story of how he heroically saved Sasuke's life whilst on a mission. In truth, their roles were reversed and Sasuke had to save Naruto from a pack of angry dogs. Naruto of course wasn't going to tell Hinata _that_. He was telling Hinata this, when a lower class Chuunin appeared in front of them

"Oi, you! Hokage-sama told me to take you to your knew apartment, follow me" The Chuunin said, totally unsympathetic for Naruto's condition. Hinata narrowed her eyes at the Chuunin but he just smiled, before turning around and walking away. Hinata decided that she should follow him. She pulled Naruto along by the arm. She had to walk faster than before to keep up with the Chuunin. Before she walked only as fast as Naruto could. The Chuunin wasn't that far ahead but he was walking quite quickly. Finally they arrived at the apartment building. It was quite new from the looks of it. The Chuunin lead them to the front door of Naruto's new apartment and gave Hinata the key

"All your stuff has been moved here" Was all he said before leaving

"Hey aren't going to show us around" Naruto asked. He got no response

"Hey!" Naruto shouted

"Naruto-kun, he's gone" Hinata said

"oh, right" Naruto said, feeling the disadvantages of being blind

"Come on, let's go in" Hinata said. Naruto nodded. She unlocked the door and walked in, with Naruto holding her hand. Hinata turned on the light for her benefit

'_Pink' _was the first thought that entered her mind as she noticed that the main room was painted light pink

'_It would be a bad idea to tell Naruto-kun about this, what he doesn't know wont hurt him' _Hinata thought. As she looked around, she noticed that it was bigger than his old apartment. There was a main room with some new furniture and a table, plus the pink. She saw a door that went into what looked like a kitchen area. Finally she saw a pink door that blended into the colour of the wall. It was easy to look over. She assumed it was the bathroom, seeing as that the only other door on the other end of the room was open and _it_ was the bedroom

"Why don't you go to bed and we'll explore your apartment tomorrow, okay?" Hinata suggested

"Okay, You go home and get some rest" Naruto said Hinata blushed that Naruto cared for her

"Okay then, let's get you into bed" Hinata said, like you would to a child. Hinata took Naruto by the hand to his bedroom. She walked in with Naruto and flicked the light switch. The room was a nice lavender colour. Hinata liked the room's colour

'_Hokage-sama must be playing a joke on Naruto' _Hinata thought, remembering that it was Tsunade that decided where Naruto stayed

'_She must be getting revenge for all the times Naruto-kun called her old'_ Hinata thought. It was a nice room, a large bed sat in the centre. A tall cupboard stood up against the wall, with a mirror by its side, though what for? And on the other side of the room, by the window sat a chest of drawers next to a desk. Hinata put Naruto next to the bed while she looked for his nightwear. She looked in his cupboard, all of his everyday clothes were up on hangers and his nightwear was on a shelf near the foot of the cupboard. She picked it up and gave it to Naruto, who was softly bouncing on his brand-new bed

"Thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto smiled as he began to undress. Hinata quickly turned around while he did this. She was so tempted just to sneak a peek at him, but her sense of decency wouldn't let her. As her back was turned Hinata took note of the bathroom door in Naruto's bedroom. It didn't look too big, just a toilet and a sink with all of his washing material

"Right, I'm done" Naruto said, throwing his clothes on the floor. Naruto was getting very skilled at dressing himself without his sight.

"Naruto-kun, I'll be back in the morning, though I might sleep in because I'm very tired from training

"That's fine, keep the key" Naruto said as he snuggled into his bed. Hinata was on her way out when a matter of utmost importance surged in her mind

"Naruto-kun, if you need to use the toilet in the night, you have a bathroom here in your bedroom. Up against the opposite wall" Hinata explained

"Okay thanks" Naruto said

"Goodnight Naruto-kun" Hinata turned off the light and closed the door. She also turned off the light in the main room on her way out. After she had closed and locked the front door, Hinata leaned against it and thought about the day she just had

"What a day!" Was all she said to herself before she walked home.

**Author's notes: **That wasn't easy, but I got there in the end. I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. But you can thank **Manatheron **for encouraging me to finish now, rather than later. Okay, what else? Have I apologised for the late update? Well in any case, Chapter eight is done. I had troubles because I kept on moving away from "Naruto is blind" But, I will keep on writing. I noticed that this is the first chapter which isn't longer than it's predecessors, in every chapter prior to this, they have been longer than the one before it. Well, not any more. That's all I have to say, till next time

See you in the funny pages…

**Hisoka361 –** Choosing One's Path? Oh yeah, I remember the name, I just couldn't remember what it was about, It's good to see it back up again

**Crutches – **Thanks, a few people weren't sure as to her newfound confidence in this fic. But I'm glad that you like how I write her

**Manatheron** – You like long chapters? So do I. I couldn't believe how much I had written in the 5th chapter, I didn't even realise till I was writing the end notes. Thanks for reviewing. And thank you for caring about when I update

**Nonengel – **Thanks, I wasn't completely confident with my previous chapter, like you said "It was unnecessary" but I'm glad you enjoyed it

**Daniel of Lorien – **I enjoy writing, and I hate it when someone doesn't finish what he or she starts, I will continue updating this fic. Until it comes to an end

**some guy1 – **I assure you, it is bad grammar (LOL) Any way, I hope this bad grammar hasn't greatly affected your reading, someone else has also commented on this subject, thank you for pointing this out though

**Gohan Chan – **Yes, it would have been funny, but I decided against writing _that_. (Hinata is still the ever-lovable shy girl) I think people might have had something to say if I wrote _that_

**chibified kitsunes – **"…awesome…kawaii…great work…" all those kind words can only mean one thing Chibi-chan, glomp haha! I used your own weapon against you. Thanks for reading

**randomreader – **I thought that since I wrote a Naruto POV I had to write one for Hinata

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**violentlycheerful – **it's alright, time zones can really confuse a person. And I'm glad you agree with me on nfsu2

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**kenshinlover2002 – **I've explained why there were no guards at the beginning of this chapter. And I'm sorry for making you wait for the update

**Alixen – **I don't think there are any trucks in Konoha, maybe an ox-cart. I couldn't help but notice that mine is the only Naruto fic. That is on your profile. That makes me feel special

Konosuke15 – I'm glad that you were able to endure that long chapter. And thank you, you think I'm a good writer. Oh, and do you know what you are? You are my 100th reviewer, for that you got a special mention. 

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**WildKat25/ShadowWolf13** – Yep, Scotland's my home, and I love it. Some people are a bit off put by the weather but I wouldn't trade it for any other.

You serious? I'm the only Scottish fanfic writer you've read? And this is the best naruhina fanfic you have read? Wow! Thank you. And don't worry, I always finish what I start. Please enjoy the rest of the story you two


	9. Becoming RoutineYeah Right!

**Author's Notes: **Hello Lads and Lassies (boys and girls for those of you who are not knowledgeable of Scottish terminology) I was determined to beat the time set by the previous chapter, I don't think I've made it by much. I've just recently seen "DareDevil" So there is a possibility that you'll notice some similarities…maybe

**Things that have been brought up:** In chapter five, Naruto remembered when he was once attacked by a group of people, someone has pointed out that they shouldn't have because they wouldn't of known about Kyuubi. Well, I wrote that a group of **guys** attacked him, meaning people older than him who know of the events of Kyuubi. Hope this clears it up for anyone who was in confusion.

So here it is. Thank you for being so kind in your reviews, and especially for being honest.

By the way, someone _could_ have told me I miss spelt "Centre" in the title (LOL!)

Enjoy!

**Out of Sight, Centre of Mind**

Chapter nine – Becoming Routine…yeah right!

Naruto woke up in dire need of a bathroom. He slept easily but still felt tired. He noticed that his bed was _very _comfortable, but he didn't have much time to think about it as he felt the nagging feeling in his lower region and proceeded to leap out of his unusually large bed. Naruto used his mental map, like he was doing every morning, he quickly walked to where the door was. Naruto walked right into a wall. He clutched his nose in pain with his left hand and felt the wall with his right. He knocked on it and ran his hand across and came to one conclusion

"Someone's stolen my door" Naruto said to himself. He played back what he had just said in his mind, noticing how ridiculous it sounded. Slowly, piece by piece, the events of the day before sunk into place

"Riiiiiiiight. New apartment" He said to himself again. Until the sensations in his lower body reminded him of what he had to do

"Okay, didn't Hinata-chan say something about a bathroom?" Naruto said as he ran his hand across the walls, searching for a door, he made it about half way along the opposite wall when his hand ran over a lump on the wall, it felt like a doorframe

"Success" Naruto said as he entered. He activated his chakra-sense for the briefest moment so he could feel where the toilet was, after he located it, he discontinued it and had a seat. He didn't continue his chakra sense, so that he could train up his hearing. He knew he could use the chakra sense to fight and that was the important thing in Naruto's mind. He could just use his conventional senses to get around, plus Hinata was there to help him in the complex tasks.

Hinata was still in her bed…asleep, alleviating the exhaustion she felt the previous day. Even the knocks at her door by the servants went unanswered as Hinata slumbered

Naruto had just finished washing his hands and came back out feeling a lot more comfortable. Deciding that it would be a while before Hinata came around Naruto went back to bed, since he was still a bit tired. He climbed in and pulled over his silken covers and put his head down, but try as he may, Naruto just couldn't get back to sleep

"I hate waking up early" Naruto said to himself, not knowing that it was actually quite late in the morning

"Ah, well. Might as well get up" Naruto flung his legs out of the bed and stood up again. Then he went down on all fours to search for his clothes. The advantage of having a clean room was that you could find things. Naruto quickly found his clothes, luckily, all his clothes were in a pile where he threw them the night before. He would have preferred some clean ones but this would do. Naruto quickly dressed while he was still on the ground. After he had dressed, he stood up and stretched out the stiffness of sleeping. Now Naruto wondered what to do. He couldn't go back to bed, standing there wouldn't do anything of value, and Hinata wouldn't be around for a while

"I suppose I could try looking around my apartment" Naruto said "…who the hell am I talking to?"

Naruto stepped his way towards the bed and used it as his point of reference, he was determined not to use his chakra sense unless absolutely necessary. He tried to remember how Hinata brought him into the room the night before

"The door must be to the left of the bed. The bathroom is over in the corner of the room, so the door must be between here and there" Naruto repainted his mental map. It was amazing how much Naruto could remember when he isn't visually distracted. Naruto ran his hand across the wall in a similar fashion to before, taking into account where his bed was and approximately where the bathroom was. His hand hit something as he felt the wall, It was the door handle. Smiling at his own private victory he opened the door and proceeded into the main living area

"Might as well walk the perimeter" Naruto was smart enough not to walk unaided out into the middle of the room. Where he could trip and/or bang into something. He put his hand, once again, to the wall and walked, keeping a firm pressure on it so he had a bearing. The sensation of the wall felt kind of rough as if it had been painted in the past few days. Naruto shrugged it off, as it was irrelevant because of his inability to distinguish –_among other things-_ colour. He took a few paces until his legs made contact with something hard but kind of soft. He assumed it was a couch and walked around it, leaning over so he could keep contact with the wall, He nudged a small table that was beside the couch and took note of it. Not far past the couch he found himself in the corner. Naruto turned and began exploring the second wall. His hand ran over a few large windows or possibly sliding in the process, though not much was on this wall aside from a small table. Positioned about in the middle. Another dozen or so steps past the table was another wall. On this wall was a radiator and what felt like coat hooks

'_Fair enough, I probably wont be using them but it's good to know they're there'_ Naruto thought. Naruto turned once again and explored the third wall. There was actually a door on this one

"I'll ask Hinata-chan about it. I can't wait until she comes" Naruto was talking to himself again. A second door went under a feel of Naruto's hand a few paces past the first, he made another note to ask Hinata about the doors. But for the meantime added these landmarks to his map. A few more steps after, he came up against another wall. Naruto began tracing the final wall. He passed his front door that was near the corner of the room. As he felt along the wall he came across a large object up against the wall, it was tall enough and wide enough that Naruto had to let go of the wall and walk around it. He used his hand to try and give him an idea of what it was. The object was hollow at the front as his hand went inside it. Naruto's fingers were running across something very bumpy. It took him a second to realise that they were books, and the large thing was a bookshelf

"Very funny Obachan, giving books to me…I don't even like to read" Naruto said. He felt along the bookshelves, there was at least two of them pushed up close together and up in the corner of the room. After he passed the bookcases he found himself back at his bedroom door

"Okay, that wasn't a complete waste of time. But what can I do now?" Naruto said while thinking hard about what he could do. Naruto snapped his fingers as an idea came to mind

"I can look for my clean clothes, they must be around if Obachan had my possessions moved" Naruto walked into his room trying not to forget about where everything was in his apartment. Naruto once again traced the wall, this time, of his bedroom. Nothing much was on the walls except for his bed and the bathroom door. But approximately opposite Naruto's bed was a wardrobe.

"This makes things easier" Naruto opened the wardrobe and began feeling around. Most of his clothes were on hangers. He tried to distinguish what each piece of clothing was, He managed to pick out what felt like trousers. But he was still in need of a shirt and he couldn't find his jacket on the ground earlier.

Hinata's eyes _finally _opened. She blinked out all the remainder sleep and sat up, not realising how late it was. Figuring she had a lot of time, she slowly got out of bed and walked slowly over to her cupboard. Taking time to pick out what she wanted to wear, though most of her clothes looked the same to everyone else, to her they were unique in their own way. Hinata picked out some clothes that looked exactly the same than what she always wears. After she was dressed, Hinata quickly washed up, a quick brushing of the teeth, combing of the hair and washing of the hands. Hinata was feeling clean and refreshed. It was a perfect morning, perfect until she saw the time. Hinata checked her alarm clock, the clock in her private bathroom and the clock out in the corridor, each read 'half-past-eleven' Hinata was panicked. She quickly threw on her sandals and grabbed her headband as she ran out of her bedroom door

"How could I of slept so late?" Hinata asked herself as she ran through the empty corridors of the house. Not more than a minute after she had realised the time was she outside the estate and running towards Naruto's apartment. Hinata ran her absolute fastest. She arrived shortly after but stopped quite abruptly on the stairs when she remembered something

"Naruto-kun doesn't live here anymore" Hinata couldn't believe that she had forgotten about Naruto's new apartment. She laughed softly to herself at her own mistake. Hinata tried to remember where the Chuunin took them the night before. She traced back the steps in her mind. She had worked out where Naruto's apartment was and took off at a run. Hinata was determined not to be a minute later than she already was. Naruto's new home came into sight, much to Hinata's relief. She wasted no time in getting up the stairs and to his door. She quickly brought out the key ring that the Chuunin gave her. Using the only key on the ring she unlocked and opened the door

"Maybe Naruto-kun is still asleep" Hinata said hopefully as she tip-toed to Naruto's bedroom. She silently peeked inside. Hinata's eyes scanned the room before focusing on Naruto…in a state of undress, trying to pick out something to wear, oblivious to the shy blue-haired, red-faced girl at the door. She got quite an eyeful before retracting her head. Her eyes were wide, her face deep crimson and her knees weak. Hinata was speechless at seeing Naruto like that. She didn't have the concentration to think about anything else than what she had just saw

'_Wow!' _Hinata thought to herself before nearing a faint from the amount of blood that rushed to her face and threatened to escape through her nose. Hinata tried to calm her breathing before announcing her presence. And she took her time, the image of Naruto didn't seem to go away from her mind

"N-N…N-Naruto-kun?" She tried to sound like she had just arrived. She heard Naruto drop his clothes

"Hinata-chan? Don't come in, I'm getting changed. I'll be out in a minute" She heard Naruto's voice. Hinata heard Naruto speed up his efforts but she was still struggling for simple thought, no matter what she tried to think about, it always came back to Naruto and his lack of clothing.

"O-Okay Naruto-kun, take your t-time" Hinata said. She decided to have a seat and sat at the dining room sized table in the middle of the room and tried to banish all thought from her mind. Naruto eventually emerged from his room wearing his normal clothes except from his jacket, though Hinata didn't seem to notice the passage of time

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto signalled. Hinata, at hearing her own name jumped with a squeak of surprise

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a bit of trouble" Naruto explained as he walked towards where he heard Hinata

"I-It's okay" Hinata said. Naruto noticed the stutter and was curious

"Something wrong? It's been a while since you talked to me like that" Naruto said grinning. Hinata stood up and faced Naruto

"Nothing's wrong" Hinata insisted, Naruto wondered but didn't dwell

"Well then, let's have a look around" Naruto said. Hinata nodded and walked forward then took his arm. Hinata was about to describe the apartment when Naruto began talking

"Oh! And before I forget" Naruto said no more as he gave Hinata a quick but loving kiss. Unexpected but welcomed by Hinata "…Good morning Hinata-chan" Hinata was a bit thrown off by the kiss but managed to return the greeting

"Good _afternoon_, Naruto-kun" she said

"Afternoon? How long did I take getting changed?" Naruto asked, shocked that so much time could have passed

"Naruto-kun, you didn't take too long. It was me who was late, I slept in" Hinata admitted

"Oh right, well don't worry about it" Naruto said "…You're here now and that's the important thing" Hinata smiled and blushed cutely

"Thank you" Hinata said happily

"Now, I need to know where everything is in this apartment" Naruto changed the subject

"Oh right. Well, I'll help you" Hinata was mildly disappointed from the change but didn't show it

"I already had a feel around the room and I know that there's a couch there" Naruto pointed to the couch up against the wall "…a small table there" He pointed to the table near the windows "…some coat hooks and two doors along that wall" Naruto waved his hand to point to the whole of the wall "…and over there is a bookcase for some reason" He pointed towards the bookshelves near his bedroom door" Hinata decided not to say anything about how Naruto didn't point directly at each item he was talking about, this was a result from the combination of forgetfulness and lack of sight

"Okay, Naruto-kun. In the middle of the room is a fairly large table, it is surrounded by chairs, most likely; this is for dining purposes" Hinata described as best she could. She couldn't help think that she sounded like a tour guide "…those doors lead to a bathroom and a kitchen" Hinata said, referring to the mysterious doors that Naruto was wondering about

"I have _two _bathrooms?" Naruto said in disbelief "…pretty nice, maybe Obachan is being kind to me for once" Hinata stifled a laugh as she once again inspected the colour of the room. This went beyond the notice of Naruto. Hinata began walking Naruto over to the kitchen

"I really like your apartment, Naruto-kun" Hinata said

"Yeah! I like it too, it's bigger than my last one" Hinata walked into the kitchen with Naruto. It was small but it would serve its purpose

"It's a small kitchen, not much space but it will be able to cook a fine meal in capable hands" Hinata explained "If you are ever in here without me, then use that special sense. You could hurt yourself if you're not careful"

"Okay, Okay. I'll be careful" Naruto leaned his head into Hinata in a uniquely cute way that could be described in itself as 'Naruto'. Hinata smiled as he nudged her with his head

"You want to go for a walk? My joints are aching" Naruto said

"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata turned Naruto around and lead him out of the kitchen, through the main room and out the front door onto the walk-way that lead to other people's apartments. She quickly but carefully guided Naruto down the stairs and out onto the street

"Where do you wasn't to go?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about it

"Lets just go for a walk about, maybe we'll meet up with the others" Naruto said

"Okay then" Hinata replied

Naruto and Hinata simply walked. Hinata would turn down a street at random and Naruto was grateful for a chance to stretch his legs. Naruto's memory reminded him of the question he was meaning to ask Hinata

"Hinata-chan? Are you going to be training again today?" Naruto didn't like the idea of going another day without Hinata

"Not today, Naruto-kun. But I will have to tomorrow, My teacher told me to rest for today, so that I am at my optimum" Hinata said. Naruto's face was stricken with disappointment. Hinata giggled at this, and blushed at the fact that Naruto would miss her. It made her feel…wanted

"It's not going to be for all day, Naruto-kun" Hinata explained

"Yeah, I know but I still have to find someone to go around with tomorrow, and I really don't want to have to go around with ero-sennin again" Naruto shuddered at the memory

"Why not?" Hinata asked. Naruto thought about how he should respond

"Put it this way: He didn't pay me a lot of sympathy" Naruto said "…I suppose I could just get Sakura-chan to help me" Naruto said

"Are you sure…she _did_ blow up at you yesterday, she even slapped you!" Hinata hadn't completely forgiven Sakura for that action. She was one of her best friends so Hinata could never hold a grudge against her but she was still slightly angry at her

"I'll be fine, She did apologise to me" Naruto reminded

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I just thought it was really selfish of Sakura-chan to hate you for it. She may of lost her father, but she wasn't the only one to lose someone. My aunt was killed in that attack" Hinata said sorrowfully

"Sorry" Naruto felt remorseful

"It's alright. I wasn't even born at the time of the attack so I never knew her, but I wish that I did. Father once told me of her when I was younger, how she was the kindest, sweetest sister a person could have. A part of me wished that I could have met her. I think we could of gotten along really well" Hinata said, a tear forming at what could have been. Naruto shifted his arm from her hand to her opposite shoulder so he could bring her closer to him

"I'm really sorry you never had a chance like that, Hinata-chan, I know how you feel" Naruto said. Hinata looked at Naruto

"What were your parents like, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. The question in itself surprised Naruto. This was a question he had never been asked

"I don't have parents" Naruto said his voice neutral

"You must have had parents, you can't have just appeared out of nowhere" Hinata said, this put a hint of a smile on Naruto's lips

"I have no idea who my parents were. I haven't a thing that suggests that I had parents. Not a photo, not a journal not even a mention of the name 'Uzumaki' in the reference books in the library" Naruto explained, Hinata felt guilty for bringing up this subject

"I think the Third removed all traces of any family I might have to protect their reputation" Naruto said "…I guess that they were killed in the Kyuubi's attack" Hinata nodded. She had never been told anything of Naruto's past, so she had no idea that he had been alone _all_ of his life. Hinata cursed her own nervousness, if she had approached Naruto when they were younger then she would have saved him from any more loneliness

"I'm sorry" Hinata apologised

"It's alright" Naruto replied with his grin

"No it's not! If I had become friends with you sooner then you wouldn't have had to grow up alone. I had always guessed that someone was there for you" Hinata said, tears were threatening to fall and her voice was on the verge of breaking. Naruto used his hand that was on Hinata's shoulder and brought it up past her neck and to her jaw so that he was cupping one side of her face in one hand. Hinata leaned her face into his hand

"You shouldn't worry about these things Hinata-chan, I turned out alright" Naruto said "…but you know something? You actually saved my life once, whether you knew or not" Naruto said

"I-I did?" Hinata was confused. Naruto nodded

"You remember a few weeks ago? I found you in an alley way on the ground" Naruto reminded Hinata, like she could forget

"Y-Yes" It was one of Hinata's more painful memories

"Well, that night I had plans to kill myself" Hinata stopped moving and grabbed both of Naruto's arms so that they were face to face

"What?" Hinata didn't want to believe what Naruto was telling her

"The pain was unbearable, I realised that I didn't have a chance in hell with Sakura-chan. I felt alone, heartbroken even. I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I thought that suicide would be the painless way out. But…things didn't go according to plan, the kunai that I was going to use to end my life wouldn't even be able to cut a piece of thread. Before I could have another 'stab' at it, I found you. Your beautiful smile alone was enough to make me feel good about myself again. The following morning I felt like hitting myself for even considering killing myself. But, if I hadn't found you on that night, I really would have killed myself" Naruto explained. Hinata felt the tears come, she had actually saved his life, her life did have meaning

"N-Naruto-kun? That night, the same thing happened to me" Hinata said in almost disbelief "… I was going to end _my_ life on that night as well, until you found me. You made _me _feel good about myself on that night, like someone did care for me" Hinata explained. She had never told anyone this before, it felt good to get it off her chest

"Whoa. That was lucky, wasn't it?" Naruto said "…both of us meeting on the same night, with the same intentions to kill our selves and we save each other's lives" Hinata managed a smile and embraced Naruto in a hug. Naruto returned it

"If someone ever tells you that you're no good, if someone asks you 'what would be different if you were never born?' then you can say that you saved a life of someone important to you" Naruto said while gentle rocking Hinata from side to side. Hinata tightened her grip on the hug. They half broke the hug so that Naruto had his right arm around Hinata's shoulders and Hinata had her left arm around Naruto's waist so she could guide him better. Hinata began walking forward, feeling a lot happier than before.

The couple were happy to just walk, they talked about whatever came to mind, Naruto had been talking about training with Jiraiya and about how he learned the Rasengan. Hinata was more than happy to remain quiet and listen, it was what she did best. Naruto proceeded to describe how he fought the traitor Kabuto and won the necklace from Tsunade

"You won a necklace?" Hinata asked

"Yes, look…" Naruto pulled the cord around his neck so that it was over his shirt. Hinata took a closer look, admiring how beautiful it looked "…Tsunade gave this to me because she acknowledged that I could become Hokage. I proved it to her by mastering the Rasengan in a week" Naruto explained

"Wow" Hinata said simply

"Yeah I know, It looks so cool doesn't it?" Naruto said as he rubbed the necklace with his thumb

"No, that you called Hokage-sama by her name for once" Hinata smiled. Naruto laughed softly as well "…but yes. It does look very nice, it looks good on you" Hinata returned to having her arm around Naruto's waist. Naruto was once again telling of a mission but he was cut short when he sensed something

"Hinata-chan? It feels like we're being followed" Naruto said as he strained his ears to give him some kind of clue

"I thought you weren't using the chakra-sense" Hinata was confused as to how Naruto could sense someone

"No, I'm not using it. I just have the feeling, you know the one, when you feel like you're being watched" Hinata was about to answer when a figure jumped down from the rooftop of one of the buildings

"It's about time you noticed, idiot!" Sasuke said as he approached his friend

"What do you want now, Sasuke" Naruto relied "…and where's Sakura-chan"

"What makes you think I know that" Sasuke said unfazed

"The pair of you seem to be closer…than before" Naruto grinned deviously. Beads of sweat rolled down Sasuke's face before being wiped away quickly

"I'm allowed to talk with my team mate" Sasuke said sounding slightly defensive. Naruto took note of the normally unnoticeable tone in Sasuke's voice and felt very proud of himself

"So she _is _around" Naruto enquired. Veins stood out on Sasuke's face though he made no sound to give a clue to Naruto, He forced himself to stay calm

"Yeah, she'll catch up in a minute" Sasuke said as innocently as possible

"You wanna tell me why you're following us?" Naruto enquired, liking how the 'us' sounded

"Just making sure you're on your toes, I wouldn't want you to get too relaxed, Idiot" Sasuke said

"I have a name, you know?" Naruto's patience was wearing thin

"Yeah, I _am _calling you by your name" Sasuke inwardly grinned, he derived a lot of pleasure in pissing Naruto off. Naruto clenched his fist, ready to punch out. He did however restrain himself.

"Sasuke-kun! Don't annoy Naruto like that!" Sakura's stern voice came from behind them. Hinata turned her head to see Sakura walking up the street with a friendly smile at seeing Hinata. Sakura drew up beside Naruto, a bit of a guilty smile lingering on her lips

"Hi Naruto" She said softly. Hinata did not take her eyes off Sakura

"Hey! What's up Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked cheerfully

"Nothing much, we were just out for a walk until we saw you two" Sakura said. She leaned her head forward so she could get a better look at Hinata

"Hi Hinata-chan. Naruto told me about you two, Congratulations I'm so happy for you" Sakura said grinning

"Thank you Sakura-chan" Hinata said, unable to sense any hostility or negativity aside from guilt. Hinata now believed that Sakura wouldn't do anything of harm to Naruto, and so, relaxed

"So where are you guys going?" Sakura asked

"Nowhere, just out for a stroll. We spent the morning looking around my new apartment" Naruto said

"New apartment? So you couldn't go back to your old one?" Sakura asked

"No, The land lady decided not to let me stay anymore. Probably for the best, too many people know where I live" Naruto said. Hinata nodded sadly remembering the vandalism "…I can't count how many times Kakashi-sensei just appeared without a moment of notice, trying to force those nasty vegetables on me" Hinata smiled at herself for getting the wrong end of the stick

"It's for your own good, Naruto" Sakura stated. Naruto grumbled something to himself

"Hey Sasuke! Can I have a word?" Naruto asked, letting go of Hinata and walking towards where he heard Sasuke's voice come from. Naruto could hear his breathing, the crunch of the dirt path beneath his feet, so he could easily tell where Sasuke was

"What about?" Sasuke asked. Sakura used the time to her advantage and pulled Hinata away to talk to her

Sasuke was listening to whatever Naruto had to say

"Sasuke, I didn't hear what you had to say about Kyuubi, you cant just be carefree" Naruto asked seriously

"I was surprised, yes. But it made clear to me why you were hated. The Kyuubi did take some of my family away from me but I'm not angry at you for carrying the demon" Sasuke explained

"What about your brother, he took away your family and you want to kill him. Kyuubi did the same but you haven't tried to rip it out of me to fight it" Naruto knew he was treading on thin ice when talking about Sasuke's brother

"My family members who died fighting the Kyuubi, died for a reason. They died with honour, with purpose. When Itachi slaughtered my clan, it was without reason, without honour. He robbed them of a proper death, this is one of the reasons I wish to kill him. I do not wish to kill you for the Demon's mistake. Besides that, I'm smart enough to realise that you had no say in the matter" Sasuke explained, feeling anger bubble within him at talking about Itachi and the end of the Uchiha

"Thanks Sasuke" Naruto said, happy that Sasuke did not hate him

Sakura had pulled Hinata off to the side to talk to her, she had been itching to talk about Her and Naruto since the day before and because Ino had left on a mission, Sakura had no one to gossip. Hinata allowed herself to be pulled along seeing that Naruto was talking to Sasuke

"Come on Hinata-chan! How do you feel? Is Naruto a good boyfriend?" Sakura asked eagerly. Hinata should have seen this coming

"I l-love him" Hinata said seriously but quietly. Sakura grinned

"I don't remember you saying anything about love to us before" Sakura almost drooled at the gossiping potential "…is he a good kisser?" Hinata blushed heavily

"I-I don't know, it feels r-really nice but I have no one else to make a comparison" Hinata told. Sakura suddenly remembered that and cursed herself for asking that question

"Soooo…does he use his tongue?" Sakura asked, grinning to all hell. Hinata wore a crimson blush at the sudden question

"w-wh-what?" Hinata shakily responded

"I'll take that as a no" Sakura said, still grinning. Hinata couldn't believe the question that she was just asked

'_Use our t-tongues? Was she serious?' _Hinata thought to herself. She had heard of such things but never considered them to be something that she would ever experience

"Well, I'm just happy that you two got together. It's about goddamn time is all I can say" Sakura said shrugging her shoulders. Hinata forced a smile through her blushing face

"Hey! Don't push me!" Naruto's voice sounded, causing Hinata to jump slightly. Sakura laughed to herself at the shy girl. Sasuke had pushed Naruto forward towards the girls. He -like Jiraiya- didn't want to guide Naruto around by the arm and stuck with pushing him

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata approached the disorientated Loud Mouth

"Yeah? Oh right" Naruto approached Hinata's voice and waited for her to make the first move. Hinata carefully slipped her arm around Naruto, he in turn put his arm around her. As they were before

"Hey! Where you guys going now?" Naruto asked

"We have…something to do together" Sakura answered carefully. Hinata looked at both Sasuke and Sakura. It didn't take her long to figure it out. She noticed the facial expressions and the wandering eyes looking at everything but each other. Hinata was happy for her friend but kept her words to herself, realising that if Sakura didn't tell her, then it was for a good reason. Naruto on the other hand had no eye for insight, no sight at all would be a better description and therefore couldn't see the actions of the two. Naruto being Naruto, further pried into business that was not his own

"Really? What do you have to do? Is it another mission from Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. Sakura and Hinata exchanged glances

"No. There are no missions for today" Sakura answered

"So what could you two possibly do together?" Naruto was overcome with curiosity, but lacking the mind to piece it together. Fortunately Hinata interrupted Naruto before he asked another question

"We'll…I'll see you later" Hinata said, feeling stupid for making the mistake. She looked at Naruto, but he didn't seem to mind

"Catch you later" Sakura said as she quickly departed with Sasuke, Leaving Naruto and Hinata alone once more

"They left in quite a hurry…makes you think" Naruto said as he rubbed his chin. Hinata chose to say nothing as she began walking with Naruto

As before, they walked, enjoying each other's company. Hinata was wondering something as Naruto walked

"Naruto-kun? Are you going to tell the other 'rookie nine' and Neji-nii-san's team about…" Hinata softly rubbed Naruto's belly

"If we meet up with them, I'll tell them, but the important people to tell were Sakura-chan, Sasuke and you. It isn't absolutely necessary for them to know, but they are my friends so I'll tell them" Naruto explained. Hinata nodded

"They do care about you Naruto-kun, even if they don't show it. I know for certain that they would give their lives for you…even Kiba-kun" Hinata said, reassuring her boyfriend

"Really?" Naruto asked, feeling grateful for having such good friends

"We all acknowledge you. We all know that you are destined for greatness" Hinata said

"Thanks, it's good to hear that every once in a while" Naruto smiled happily, strengthening his grip around Hinata. Hinata blushed slightly at the feeling of Naruto's thin shirt and jacketless top. Of course her thoughts trailed back to the morning when she walked in on Naruto getting changed. Her small, innocent blush turned into a crimson flame on her face. She made no noise as they walked while she tried to calm herself. This proved to be difficult as Hinata could not unlock her thoughts

"Who do you think I should tell first, then" Naruto asked the red faced girl. Hinata's face paled ever so slightly at the question

"Uhmm, I-It's up to you but you could try telling Shikamaru-kun if you have any doubts that your friends won't understand. O-Or you could tell everyone at once" Hinata suggested. Naruto nodded

"I suppose I could get Shikamaru to rally everyone up, he's lazy but he's reliable. I'll tell everyone at once, get it out in the open" Naruto said "…only problem is finding the lazy bum" Hinata had a thought of where he might be

"I think I know where Shikamaru-kun is" Hinata replied timidly. Naruto was confused but decided to go with it

"Okay, lead on" Naruto said. Hinata turned down a street that led to the small shopping area. Naruto was curious as to how Hinata knew where Shikamaru might be. He noticed that the sounds of people increased, signalling to him that they were entering a higher population area

"How do you know where Shikamaru is, Hinata-chan?" Naruto couldn't stand it. Being the curious boy that he was, he wanted to know

"I _think_ he might be with Ino-chan" Hinata said, emphasising that she only thought, not that she knew for sure. Naruto looked very confused

"That doesn't make _any _sense" Naruto shook his head "…Shikamaru being with the loudest, 'troublesome' girl in all of Konoha" Hinata wasn't completely sure if she should tell Naruto the news, and just decided to delay it

"You'll soon find out, Naruto-kun" Hinata said. Not long after Hinata stopped talking, she stopped Naruto in front of a shop, the Yamanaka flower shop. Naruto noticed the scent of various different flowers. He was sure that anyone who had hay fever would be unable to breathe whilst going past. Naruto felt Hinata begin to move again, this time towards the direction of the flower scent. Shortly after, he heard the sound of a bell, the bell that signifies the opening of a door to a shop. Naruto's curiosity was growing in leaps and bounds

"Welcome!" Naruto heard the loud voice of Ino, welcoming them into the shop "…Hinata-chan! Good to see you! Sakura told me about 'you know what' I'm so happy for you" Ino squealed as she ran around the counter and engulfing Hinata in a hug. Naruto staggered off to the side because Hinata lost her grip on Naruto due to the force at which Ino hugged Hinata. Hinata could barely move, Ino's grip was so tight

"I-Ino-chan" Hinata patted Ino's shoulders to try and get her to let go. Eventually, when Ino had hugged all but the life out of Hinata, she relinquished the shy girl

"And you!" Ino turned to Naruto "…treat her right" Ino said as she pushed her fist across Naruto's lower jaw gently

"You know I will!" Naruto declared seriously. Ino smiled at Hinata with admiration

"Hinata-chan chose well" Ino said to herself "…anyways, what do the pair of you want?" Naruto was reminded of the reason they were there in the first place. Hinata moved to Naruto's side and put her arm around him, Naruto mirrored

"I just need a quick word" Naruto said. Ino listened "…you know where Shikamaru is?" Ino looked curious but didn't dally, she turned her head and shouted into the back of the shop

"HEY! SHIKA-KUN!" Ino yelled. Hinata and Naruto covered their ears from the loudness of it. The lazy Chuunin slouched out of the door behind the counter, hands deep thrust in his pockets. He wasn't wearing his Chuunin vest, in place of it was an apron, he wasn't too keen on being seen in it. But taking into account that Naruto couldn't see and Hinata was too polite to say anything, he decided it was safe to come out

"not so loud" Shikamaru said softly as he walked around the counter towards Ino. As Shikamaru pulled up beside Ino, she suddenly latched onto his arm. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but made no attempt to prise the girl off him. Hinata concealed an amused smile at seeing this. Ino rested her head on Shikamaru's shoulder

"Naruto wants a word" Ino said sweetly. Shikamaru sighed

"Yeah…a word, listen, I need you to round up everyone, Fuzzy Eyebrow's team, our teams, you know" Naruto explained, he heard the actions of Ino and wondered silently

"okay" Shikamaru said, earning him a surprised look from Hinata and an amazed expression from Naruto, but a tightening on his left arm from Ino, and it wasn't in the affectionate way

"Shika! we have plans" Ino's voice dripped with venom, her nails began digging into his arm

"Plans?" Naruto took no more, he wanted to know what was going on. Hinata knew precisely

"Shika and I are going to have a late-lunch together" Ino answered not turning her head from the sweating Shikamaru

"Together? Lunch together, you two…together?" Naruto was piecing things together as he usually does "…YOU'RE A COUPLE! How the hell did that happen?" Naruto laughed

"Troublesome Naruto" Shikamaru turned his head from Naruto to the girl digging her claws into his flesh "…troublesome girl" Shikamaru barely finished his line when the pressure on his arm increased ten-fold

"I-If girls are so troublesome, then why did you ask I-Ino-chan out?" Hinata stuttered, even although Hinata considered Shikamaru a friend, she was slightly intimidated by his intelligence

"_I_ didn't" Shikamaru answered, he cast a gaze at Ino, who instantly blushed and released her grip. Hinata forgot herself and laughed out loud, much to Ino's discomfort

"What? What is it?" Naruto asked eagerly, feeling left out. Hinata's laughs softened into giggles

"_Ino-chan_… asked Shikamaru-kun out" Hinata said. Naruto knew he shouldn't laugh, but that didn't stop him. Shikamaru and Ino turned their stares at Naruto. The blind ninja's hysterical laughs died into nervous ones as he felt the killer eyes on him and the deadly aura in the room. Shikamaru disliked being the butt of someone's laughter. He surrendered his post as lazy at this point to walk over and bonk Naruto across the head. Naruto jumped in surprise before clutching the small bump on his head

"ow!" Naruto pouted. Hinata guiltily decided that Naruto deserved that

"You ain't in any position to laugh" Shikamaru said before turning to Naruto's companion "…How long have you _liked_ Naruto, Hinata?" Hinata blushed

"Point taken" Naruto grumbled. Shikamaru turned around and went back over to Ino

"When do you want to meet everyone?" Shikamaru asked, without turning his head

"Shikaaaaa! Ino groaned. He just rolled his eyes

"It wont take _that_ long. When?" Shikamaru said. Naruto shrugged his shoulders

"Whenever. Tonight sometime? About seven?" Naruto suggested "…I don't know where we could meet though" Shikamaru rolled his eyes once more

"Uhmm, my f-father is out on business tonight, we could go to the Hyuuga estate?" Hinata shyly put forward. Shikamaru looked toward Naruto to find his answer

"Yeah that sounds good" Naruto said, nodding his approval "…I trust you'll rally the troops, _Shika_" Naruto grinned, Shikamaru simply muttered a "whatever" Naruto knew he would do it

"Find N-Neji-nii-san first, get everyone to meet him tonight then he'll take them to the house" Hinata said

"Okay. Come on Ino, let's go" Shikamaru said as he was about to walk out of the shop, Ino stopped him

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ino asked grinning. Hinata smiled also

"I'll kiss you later, not in front of other people" Shikamaru said, eager to get away

"No, I mean your attire" Ino said looking up and down Shikamaru. He followed her eyes and smacked himself on the forehead when he realised. He swiftly yet lazily went in the back of the shop, he emerged _minus_ the apron, _plus_ his Chuunin vest

"See you tonight" Shikamaru called as he and Ino departed

After Ino and Shikamaru had left, Naruto and Hinata began making tracks. Naruto was contemplating his decision

'Should I tell everyone? It's not like it's essential for them to know…But they're my friends, If I don't tell them, then I have no right to call them that'

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata saw that Naruto was deep in thought, she knew that he was thinking about what he had to do

"It's nothing" Naruto shook off the enquiry. Hinata had a concerned look on her face but didn't press. Instead she took hold of Naruto's arm and brought it from his side to around her shoulders, she in turn leaned into Naruto's side but not so much that it disorientated him, Hinata kept her arm in place around his waist. Naruto wore a happy smile, Hinata was just happy to walk as they were, she felt safe and secure. Not that she felt endangered and insecure, but being with Naruto and being in his embrace re-enforced these feelings

"Hinata-chan? Do you mind if we go and sit down somewhere, my legs are beginning to ache" Naruto asked, feeling aches developing in his knees

"Okay" Hinata looked around for a place, they were still on the shopping promenade so there wouldn't be a shortage of benches. Hinata and Naruto walked down the street, they came to the heart of the retail streets. It was a large circular junction that connected all the streets with shops on them. In the middle was a magnificent fountain, there were one or two children throwing coins into the pool while water was being blasted upwards by the statue of the large frog in the middle of the fountain. This statue was made in the honour of the frog that combated Kyuubi almost thirteen years before. Along the edge of the circular junction were benches…or rather one long continuous bench running along the circumference, breaking only at the streets that lead out. Hinata lead Naruto over to a space on the large bench. It was mid-afternoon and there were a lot of people out and about, doing some shopping. It was difficult for Hinata to find a space on the bench but she found one. As Hinata and Naruto approached the space on the bench grew. When they were actually sitting down the space had grown so that there was about three meters on either side of Hinata and Naruto. Hinata noticed this and was slightly angered, the space had grew because the people who were on the bench didn't want to be seated next to the 'demon child'

Once they had sat down Naruto let off a sigh and began rubbing his sore legs

"My legs are killing me" Naruto complained, Hinata smiled and looked around. When he didn't hear any acknowledgment Naruto pushed on the conversation

"Do you enjoy your training, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked at Naruto and thought for a second

"I wouldn't say it's fun, but the rewards far outweigh the discomfort" Hinata explained, in truth she was still in pain from her training session but this was nothing more than a dull ache if she moved

"Yeah. Hey, after I get my sight back, we can spar against each other, I can see how strong you've become" Naruto said excitedly. Hinata opened her mouth to correct Naruto about his sight returning but cut herself off short, she didn't wish to make him feel bad

"Okay, I look forward to it" Hinata encouraged

'_She's really sweet, She truly cares for my feelings. I couldn't be luckier to be with her'_ Naruto thought with a grin

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata noticed the mile-wide smile and was curious

"Oh…It's nothing" Naruto shook it off "…well, my legs feel better now, wanna get going?" Hinata smiled and stood up, helping Naruto to his feet in the process. They began to walk when suddenly stopped Naruto stopped

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata cocked her head

"Shh" Naruto politely shushed her as he was straining to hear something. Hinata wondered but kept quiet

'_I wonder if it is Lee-san again' _Hinata thought, remembering two days ago to the ramen stand and the infamous fight that followed. She looked around, wondering who Naruto could hear this time but there was a lot of people around so she couldn't pick out anyone who she knew. Hinata was surprised, even amazed that Naruto would be able to clearly hear anyone in a crowd of people like this. Not long after, Naruto brought his head up

"You would think that in a village the size of Konoha you wouldn't run into the same people time and time again" Naruto said, Hinata nodded and was about to verbally agree before she was cut off

"HEY NARUTO!" Came Sakura's always-loud voice. Hinata turned to look, clearly she had gone shopping since they met her earlier, she was carrying a small bag. Sakura jogged up to Naruto and Hinata

"Hello Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked

"Oh, me and Sasuke-kun went shopping after we met you guys earlier" Sakura explained motioning behind her without looking. Hinata leaned to the side to look behind Sakura

"Where is he now?" Hinata asked, unable to see the Uchiha. Sakura turned around and did not see a trace of Sasuke. A vein popped out on her forehead

"I'll kill him!" Sakura fumed

"I thought you two had something to do together after you left us" Naruto said. Sakura turned to look at her teammate

"We did, but we changed our plans" Sakura said. Naruto raised an eyebrow

"Just what is the situation between you and Sasuke? You two seem almost inseparable" Naruto pried into business that did not belong to him

"To be honest Naruto, I don't know. He doesn't seem to mind when I am near him, He doesn't resist when I slip my hand into his. But there haven't been any words or actions to confirm what our relationship is, be it friends or something more" Sakura explained

"Well, if you're waiting for Sasuke to make the first move then you are in for a _long_ wait, when have you ever known Sasuke to express his feelings" Naruto pointed out

"That's probably the reason why Ino-chan made the first move" Hinata said, confusing Sakura

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, Hinata shifted her gaze and did her best to avoid the question, she had assumed that Ino would have told Sakura

'_then again…for Ino-chan to admit that she asked Shikamaru-san out might embarrass her' _Hinata thought. Sakura saw the shifting eyes and the deep thought processes that was going on in Hinata's mind and realised that she was not going to say anything more on that subject

'_I'll just get Ino to tell me later'_ Sakura thought

"So anyway, we _were_ going to get some lunch but then I had an idea to go shopping. Sasuke grudgingly agreed, we found something that we decided that we had to get" Sakura explained "…soon after that, we ran into Ino and Shikamaru and they told us about tonight. Are you going to tell them?" Naruto nodded

"I sorta need you and Sasuke there to back me up" Naruto said

"Sure Naruto, we'll be there" Sakura reassured "…oh! And before I forget, here!" Sakura handed the small bag she was carrying to Naruto. She held it for about five seconds in front of Naruto, before she smacked her overly large forehead

"What?" Naruto was oblivious to the bag being held out to him

"Hold out you're hand Naruto" Sakura said, Naruto did as he was told and Sakura put the bag in his hand

"What's this?" Naruto asked happy to receive a gift. He felt it. It was kind neither thick, nor thin and it felt short as well. Naruto found an opening to the bag and brought out what was inside, it gave him a better feeling

'_It feels like four thick bars joined together in a square' _Naruto thought as Naruto explored the item. Sakura and Hinata watched with both patience and fascination. Naruto rotated the item, then felt a rubber surface on one of the bars

'_It feels like rubber, it feels nice'_ Naruto ran his hand down that bar, after the rubber ended he felt a small bump, he pressed it with his thumb. The bump pushed into the bar with a click. Naruto felt the item come loose. He held it from the rubber bar and held it out. Naruto herd a few more clicks and felt a few vibrations after he did this. He was confused and brought the item back down to further examine it but found that he couldn't bring it down any further, from the rubber surface he was holding he couldn't bring it down past the bottom of his chest. An idea surfaced in Naruto's mind, He held the item at a distance with his right hand and angled the palm of his left at the _now_ long single bar. Naruto used his chakra sense and scanned the item

'_Damn, I'm getting rusty, I've gotta use this more often'_ Naruto thought, the image he was receiving of the item wasn't as clear as before. He did as best as he could to understand it

'_Wow, it's a long bar now, it has three joints that connect the four bars, it's about chest height'_ Naruto described to himself

"What is it?" Naruto asked

"It's a cane" Sakura declared "…you use it to feel your way around"

"Okay, I've already got a way though" Naruto said

"Yeah but you can't use that sixth sense thingy all the time, right?" Sakura pointed out

"No, I meant Hinata-chan" Naruto grinned "…but yeah, thanks this could be useful, at least until I get a hang of this 'sixth sense'…or would it be a fifth sense, since I lost one" Naruto pondered

"O-kay, I've got to go and find Sasuke-kun. I'll see you two tonight" Sakura waved and walked away. Naruto assumed that to collapse the cane he would just have to press the button again, he did so and it made another collection of clicks. Naruto nodded in approval as he folded it up again

'_Where could I put it?'_ Naruto wondered. An idea struck him, he quickly removed the Kunai that were in his leg holster and put them in his ninja pouch. With his kunai holder empty, Naruto put his folded cane into the space, it was a tight fit put it didn't pose a problem. Once Naruto had put it in, he barely felt it, for it was so light

"I'll practise with it later, I might take someone's eye out if I use it in this crowded place" Naruto said

"Okay. Where do you want to go now?" Hinata asked

"Why don't we get something to eat, you can pick where we eat this time" Naruto said "…so long as it's not a salad bar, though"

"No, of course not" Hinata giggled

Hinata led Naruto to a small café that she usually went to with her team. She walked inside with Naruto and sat down at one of the tables in the corner, it was a small corner café, it had six circular tables and a small kitchen at the back. Hinata took a seat after guiding Naruto to the one opposite chair. The tables were a good size, each had two or three chairs. It was after lunch so most of the lunchtime customers had left, although a few people were still sitting at tables having a drink while reading a book or talking quietly to their companions. It wasn't long before a waitress noticed them, she came over to them with a pencil and a notepad

"What would you like, Hinata-san?" The waitress asked, barely noticing Naruto

"A l-large portion of Dango please" Hinata said quietly. The waitress smiled and jotted the order down

"You've been coming here for the better part of two years, you have no need to be shy around here" The waitress said with a smile "…a large plate for the both of you, yes?"

"Yes" Hinata raised her voice above her whisper. The young waitress took a glance at Naruto then back at Hinata and gave her an approving smile. The waitress took the order to the kitchen

"You've been coming here for two years?" Naruto asked, trying to start a conversation

"Yeah, I stumbled across this little place by accident, ever since then I've come here for lunch or for a quick snack" Hinata said

"It's a nice place, though it must get a bit loud if Kiba came here" Naruto said, whilst admiring the feeling of calm

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata said confused

"Yeah, you must have shown this place to your team mates" Naruto said. Hinata felt a blush begin to surface

"W-well actually, Naruto-kun…you're the first person I've come here with, I come here when I need some personal space" Hinata explained "…sort of like that spot in the Hyuuga gardens" Naruto nodded in understanding

"I'm honoured" Naruto said smiling

"I think that you are the one person I trust more than anyone else in the village, Naruto-kun" Hinata confessed. Naruto felt himself be touched by the heart

'_I'm so lucky! There's no way that I could have ever been this happy with Sakura-chan' _Naruto thought

"Thank you…and I'm sorry for not noticing you sooner" Naruto apologised. Hinata smiled and put her hand on his

"Don't be" Hinata said. The waitress was surprised at Hinata. In the years that she had known the young women, she had always been the polite, shy person. And now she was openly displaying affection. The waitress had been watching the two with amused interest, she almost jumped in surprise when the cook put the plate of Dango next to her. Not wasting a second, she picked it up and walked over to the table of Naruto and Hinata. Hinata noticed the waitresses approach and quickly retracted her hand to give some room for the plate. The waitress carefully placed the plate down, it was a generous helping of Dango, it might be a challenge for the two of them to finish

"Thank you, Ryoko-san" Hinata said gratefully. Ryoko smiled encouragingly at Hinata, before going to take the order of someone else in the café. Hinata looked at the Dango on sticks and smiled in anticipation - she loved Dango

"Here, Naruto-kun" Hinata picked up one of the sticks and placed it in Naruto's hand carefully

"Thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto said moments before he swallowed one of the Dango balls whole, it didn't take him more than a couple of moments to finish the other two that were on the skewer. He put the stick down and helped himself to another, He acted a bit too quickly as he was about to pick up a fresh stick, he pricked his hand on the pointed end of a skewer. But this did not deter him, this time he _carefully _picked up a stick of Dango. Though he could not see her, Hinata was eating at a remarkable pace, while still managing to keep up her table manners. The two sat and devoured all but the last stick, each had the sweet taste in their mouths but decided that they wanted more, Naruto's hand already moved and searched for the last stick. Hinata thought carefully about what she should do

'_I could let Naruto-kun have the last one…but I love Dango so much…But I love Naruto-kun more…but Dango!' _Hinata was in severe conflict with her love of Naruto and of Dango. All the while Naruto's hand was inching closer and closer to the last one

'_Naruto-kun can't see, he dosen't know that there's one left, you could just take it and tell him that there was none left' _Hinata had an image of herself dressed in a dark, skin-tight outfit with a miniskirt, with long, partially red dyed hair flowing freely behind her, she was idly filing her nails with a kunai as she sat cross legged on a low wall. This represented her dark side which very rarely raised it's head

'_No, No, No. Naruto-kun is our guest, You must let him have the last one… anyway, it's wrong to take advantage of his disability' _A second image of herself appeared in Hinata's mind, this one was dressed in a cream-coloured dress, unlike the previous one, this one was wearing an outfit that covered her cleavage and past her mid thighs. Her hair was tied up behind her head. This personality was Hinata's goodwill, her light side.

'_They both make such good points' _Hinata thought, she saw in her mind the two halves of herself. On the left was coloured purple, This conveyed the feeling of darkness while still making "Darkside Hinata" stand out, And there she stood, in all her glory, doing her best to make her female assets stand out, she still had her kunai.

On the right was "Lightside Hinata" she was standing in front of a pale yellow backdrop. She stood in a dignified position, her hands joined together in front of her, a kind smile on her lips, and not slouching over in the slightest. Both were trying to convince her to do it their way

Hinata's hand shot out in a flash and grabbed an end of the skewer before Naruto's hand discovered it

'_ATTA GIRL!' _Dark Hinata praised, Light Hinata looked disappointed

'_It's bad enough that you saw the love of our life naked, without his knowledge. Now you steal the last stick of Dango, which clearly, Naruto-kun was going for' _Light Hinata said, Dark Hinata rolled her eyes at her companion and grinned wickedly before she silenced Light Hinata

'_HEY! WATCH IT WITH THAT THING' _Light Hinata shouted after the kunai zipped past the back of her head, cutting the band that held her hair up. The piece of band fell to the floor and Light Hinata's hair fell gracefully down, it now looked like Dark Hinata's, except un-dyed

'_ah shut up! You know you liked walking in on Naruto-kun like that' _Dark Hinata grinned just before all three Hinatas sighed dreamily at the memory

"What?" Naruto asked, hearing the sigh. Hinata was brought back to reality with a jolt and a blush after where her train of thought lead. Hinata once again saw her two personalities in her mind, looking at _her _expectantly. Hinata thought of a way out of it. Quickly, she sank her teeth into one of the balls on the stick and pulled it off. Dark Hinata laughed manically in her victory, while Light Hinata shook her head. But after Hinata had taken the ball off the stick she put it in Naruto's hand. In her mind Light Hinata looked at her companion with a smile. Each glared at each other before simultaneously turning their backs on each other and disappearing

"Thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto said happily, unaware of the thought processes that had run through Hinata's mind "…there's one missing" Naruto said as he only felt two balls on the stick

"Oh…ish ther'?" Hinata struggled with the Dango in her mouth, Naruto smiled after realising what happened and remained silent as he finished the last Dango. After Naruto was finished, Hinata put some money on the table for a tip before she got up from her seat, Naruto got up and waited for Hinata to take his arm. Hinata quickly took Naruto by the hand and walked up the counter where Ryoko was reading a magazine. As Hinata approached, Ryoko quickly straightened up, She quickly gave Hinata the bill

"Thank you" Hinata said as she received the bill, she quickly fished out the right amount of money

"Thank _you_" Ryoko said, Hinata bowed and led Naruto outside. Once they were outside, Hinata brought Naruto's arm around her shoulders and put hers around his waist and began to walk

It was starting to get dark, the amount of birdsong was decreasing and the amount of people on the streets was lessening. The temperature was also beginning to fall, sending a chill across Naruto's bare arms

"You wanna go back to my apartment? I'm starting to get a bit cold" Naruto said. Hinata felt the goose bumps where his bare arm made contact with the back of her neck

"Okay" Hinata said

"What time is it, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, remembering his appointment with telling his friends about his secret

"We have about forty-five minutes before we have to go" Hinata answered

"Really? You really do loose track of time when you can't see" Naruto said to himself "…anyway, let's go get my jacket then we'll head off to your house" Naruto said softly

"Okay, Naruto-kun" Hinata nodded, she led Naruto onto the main street and walked him to his apartment as she had done times before.

One of the advantages the café had was that it was a stones throw away from Naruto's apartment, yet another reason why Hinata liked it, every time she came, she would hope that she would run into him by chance. But now the café had lost that advantage since Naruto had moved apartment. Hinata led Naruto past his old apartment and followed the path she walked that morning to Naruto's apartment. It wasn't too long before it came into view. All the time, Naruto seemed to be in thought, so Hinata decided that she'd leave him alone for the time being. Hinata carefully led Naruto up the stairs to the building. To her, Naruto seemed to be getting a bit sluggish, though it was understandable

"We're here, Naruto-kun" Hinata said to the silent Naruto, he responded with a mere nod of his head. Hinata brought out the key and let Naruto and herself in

"Wait here Naruto-kun, I'll go find your jacket" Hinata said, she put his hand on the table in the middle of the room, so that he had something to keep him steady

"Okay" Naruto smiled at the girl. Hinata went into Naruto's room and looked around, his jacket was on the floor by the bed. Hinata quickly walked over and picked it up. As she did, something fell out of an inside pocket. It was a small, cylindrical, brown container. Hinata took a closer look. It seemed familiar. She carefully picked it up, she noticed that it had a few cracks in it. Finally, she allowed her brain to recognize it; it was the jar of ointment the she had given to Naruto. In that moment of realisation, she felt her heart melt. He had kept the jar with him since that day in the Chuunin exams. Hinata rose to her feet, feeling slightly breathless. She held Naruto's jacket in one hand and cradled the jar in her other and then helplessly smiled, not just a reserved smile that she usually did, but one that she felt to her very core. She realised with slight embarrassment that Naruto was still outside, waiting for her. Still with a smile she quickly put the jar back in Naruto's jacket. With his jacket in hand, Hinata came out of the bedroom and walked fearlessly up to Naruto and threw her arms around him and claimed his lips with her own. Naruto jumped in shock, this was a most unexpected turn of events. His knees weakened, forcing him to go down. Hinata was not going to allow the moment to be ruined by Naruto collapsing, so she manoeuvred his body backwards onto the table, all the time keeping their lips in contact. Naruto was getting over the initial shock, and put his arms around the girl who seemed to be attached to his lips. Hinata had forgotten herself, she was only aware of two things; First: She was kissing Naruto with more intensity than ever before, Second: She didn't want to stop. Her body was half-lying on Naruto's, her left leg was pinning him to the table, to make sure he wasn't going to go anywhere. Not that he wanted to. Naruto was surprised, and even slightly scared by the sudden change in Hinata, but what he was feeling in the kiss both mentally and physically disabled him from moving anything but his arms and head. Even the discomfort of the hard table went unfelt by Naruto. Minutes had passed, Both had started to breathe through their noses, they felt each other's breathe tickle their face. Naruto's shy hands had come to rest on Hinata's hips, once there they refused to move. Hinata's hands were slightly more confident, Her right hand was twirling a spike of Naruto's hair around her finger, her left rested on his rapidly ascending and descending chest. Just as Naruto was beginning to feel comfortable with the situation, something else _-unexpected but pleasant-_ happened. Dark Hinata made another appearance in Hinata's mind and submitted an order to her weakened state of mind.

Naruto froze to the spot, his entire body clenched, his chest even stopped rising and dropping. Hinata's tongue had forced entry to Naruto's mouth and was now exploring it's new environment. Naruto's hands began to shake at Hinata's hips, his face began to show a tint of blue from not breathing. He had to focus to keep his eyes from opening up wide behind the bandages. With every last ounce of will power and mental strength he moved his tongue to connect with Hinata's. When they made contact, it was the most powerful sensation either of them had ever felt before in their lives. With this in mind, Naruto became more confident as he took the battle to her mouth and began exploring like she had just done. Hinata's tongue caressed Naruto's as it explored the warm, moist, softness of her mouth and tongue. Naruto found himself addicted to the feeling, the closeness…the taste.

Inside Hinata's mind, Dark Hinata was laughing maniacally, even Light Hinata was smiling.

All good things must come to a stop, but they have to slow down first. It was in this moment that Hinata's conscious mind began to re-awaken and realise the situation she was in, memories of the past ten minutes also came back to her. Her body had ceased moving in disbelief, her face was aflame when she felt Naruto's tongue against her own, when she felt the position they were in and a final fact that she was the one who initiated it. She knew that she had to stop it, her inner-selves begged her not to and she herself didn't want to but she knew that they had somewhere to be and it was more important than her currant activity, even although she could stay in that position all day. Hinata felt her mind slipping away, if she didn't act soon then she would once again loose all sense of reason and return to what she was like a few minutes ago. She didn't want to dare think about what could happen if that happened. Hinata pushed Naruto's tongue back past her lips and closed them over Naruto's lower lip. Once she had his lip, she pulled her head back, tugging his lip in the process. Once she was clear, Hinata rested her head on his shoulder

"H-Hin…a-ata…ch-chan" Naruto was struggling for breath

"hmm…Naruto-kun…h-hands" Hinata said, she had quickly regained her breath but her heart rate was still beating strong and hard. Naruto was confused by her choice of words

"Y-Your H-Hands" Hinata said shakily. Naruto was confused. His body had been numb but the feeling began to return, his hands were resting on something soft. Curious, Naruto squeezed slightly. Hinata squeaked and her entire body jolted. As he usually does, Naruto pieced it together; the position of Hinata's body on his, the last known position of his hands, the softness that he felt and the reaction of Hinata when he squeezed. Naruto gulped loudly, his face matched Hinata's. Naruto –with utmost care- lifted his hands off of Hinata's backside and put them lightly on Hinata's middle-back

"S-Sorry" Naruto said quietly. Hinata managed a kind smile, even although he couldn't see it, Naruto felt it. Hinata gave Naruto a quick kiss on the nose before weakly pushing herself off the table. Her knees almost gave way when she slid off the table. Hinata took a hold of Naruto's hand and aided him off the table. Naruto almost fell over like her, but Hinata held him up

"W-we should get going or we'll be late" Hinata said as she picked up Naruto's jacket which she dropped before attaching herself to Naruto. "…h-here's your jacket" Hinata handed the jacket to him, her voice seemed very quiet, Naruto understood why. Hinata moved alongside Naruto after he had put his jacket on. She timidly slid her arm around Naruto. She squeaked when he brought his arm around her shoulders. Hinata walked forward, bringing Naruto with her

'_I wonder what made Hinata-chan suddenly kiss me'_ Naruto thought. He then realised something. His jacket didn't feel right, something felt different. He then realised that that the jar of ointment Hinata had given him was in the wrong pocket, he had always kept it in an inside pocket on his chest, but now it was in one lower down. He then understood Hinata's actions earlier

'_She must have found it in my jacket and was touched by the fact that I had kept it all this time'_ Naruto thought as he tightened his grip on the girl ever so slightly. The two made it out onto the street without any words. But they were comfortable with this. Hinata guided Naruto off down the street towards the Hyuuga manor…and the final decision whether he would be accepted.

It was nearing the time set by Naruto, and Shikamaru had done his duty. With the help of Neji and Ino he rounded up all the seven remaining Gennins. Now the ten of them waited in a living area near the entrance of the house. Each were talking amongst themselves. They all stopped talking as they heard the front doors close with a bang, and the approaching footsteps. The Gennins and Chuunin were all wondering what it was that Naruto wanted. All except the two Gennins of team seven at the back wall of the room. It was a large room; big leather, antique furniture was lined up in a circle on the floor, all facing inward, most of the Gennin were sitting on these pieces of furniture, awaiting the arrival of Naruto and Hinata. Shikamaru was on his own sitting at a table outside the circle, Ino was going from group to group trying to figure out what everyone knew; While Sakura and Sasuke were speaking quietly about Naruto. But now, everyone was silent as they listened to the approaching footsteps. A few more footsteps were heard before Hinata and Naruto entered the room. As they noticed their arrival, all the Gennin and the Chuunin entered the circle and silently took a seat. Hinata guided Naruto to the centre of the circle and stayed by his side. Sasuke and Sakura also stood beside Naruto. There was a mixed reaction to the obvious closeness between Naruto and Hinata. Hinata took noticed of the annoyed look on Kiba's face and smiled apologetically. Though everyone else were approving of the couple. Neji, Shino and Sasuke remained neutral as they always do

"Go ahead, Naruto-kun" Hinata said reassuringly as she slipped her hand into his. With a smile, he began

"Thanks for coming. What I have to tell you will explain why I haven't had an enjoyable upbringing. I've already told Hinata-chan, Sasuke and Sakura-chan" Naruto motioned to them with movements of his head "…They have accepted me for who I am, not what I am. I hope that you feel the same way, but I won't blame you if you don't. Before I begin, I'd like to say that I like who I am. Before, I used to hate myself. But thanks to all of you, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. I was able to like myself" Naruto felt Hinata squeeze his hand

"You all of course know of the attack on Konoha by the Kyuubi" Naruto heard the sounds of acknowledgment before he continued

"The Fourth used a special technique to defeat the Kyuubi. Defeat, but not destroy" Naruto could hear confusion through the darkness of his sightlessness

"To make sure that the Kyuubi would remain imprisoned, he sealed the demon in a living person; a newborn child" Hinata looked at each of the expressions on the faces in front of her. Most were confused, except Shikamaru who had seemingly figured out where Naruto was going with it. But what he felt about it was unclear. He was _–to say the least-_ surprised

"Your parents told you to stay away from this child. He was known to many as the Monster Child. Large groups of kids would call him names like that, because he was avoided like a monster. They knew nothing of the real Monster that was inside him. He was known as a Monster but you know him as…Uzumaki Naruto" Hinata moved so that she had her arm around his waist. Sakura put her hand on his back, above Hinata's arm. Even Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto endured the minutes of silence that roamed afterwards. It was killing him. He couldn't hear any kind of reaction, and he couldn't even use his eyes to read their expressions.

The Gennins were looking to each other and occasionally back at Naruto. They had no idea what to say. The silence was broken by the least expected person

"I understand" Came Neji's voice "…I know how it feels to have a seal that cannot be removed" Everyone looked at him. Hinata gave him a grateful smile

"You have clearly influenced Neji's view on life, Naruto-kun. For that, you earned my respect and admiration. An action that you had no choice in to begin with is not any reason to change my mind. You still have my respect and admiration" Tenten said. Lee decided that he needed to say something, since his two team mates said something

"When I first met you, I underestimated you. I then witnessed your skills and saw you as a worthy opponent and rival. The Kyuubi gives me a reason to want to prove that hard work can overcome a demon, it does not give me a reason to hate you" Lee was proud of what he said and was sure that Gai would be too. Lee looked to across to the other Gennin. The closest seated to him was Kiba. Noticing the expecting look he was being given, he realised that he was expected to say something

"Erm…If Hinata accepts you then it's fine by us" Kiba said for himself and Shino. Hinata gave him a look that told him to say more

"And…I suppose you're a good guy, despite what you carry" Kiba said. Hinata gave him a nod of approval. Shikamaru was next to voice his opinion, surprisingly he was not forced to do it

"You're an idiot…how could think that we would think less of you for this" It wasn't much but Naruto was grateful. Hinata found herself cast a glance at Sakura. She had been the only one to take the news negatively

"You are loud, obnoxious and a downright pain in my beautiful ass" Ino said, earning herself a giggle from the occupants of the room "…but when it comes down to it…you care about your friends, more so than yourself. This quality is rare, and in my eyes is enough to redeem all of your flaws"

"I could never hate a fellow lover of food" Chouji said, everyone burst out laughing. Chouji was being serious, but took no offence at the laughter. Naruto was laughing most of all

"Thanks, that…that really means a lot to me" Naruto said after he had calmed down, he felt thrown back by the loyalty of his friends

"well, if that's all you have to say then we have to get back to the shop" Ino said, prising Shikamaru up from the gel-like softness of the couch he was sitting in. Surprising everyone, Ino walked up to Naruto and hugged him. Naruto was surprised but returned the gesture awkwardly

"You're a good person, don't let anyone tell you different" Ino whispered in his ear

"Thanks" Naruto grinned. Shikamaru gave Naruto a simple pat on the shoulder

"Catch you later Fox-boy" Shikamaru trailed after Ino. Naruto laughed at his nickname

"Yeah, I've gotta go take the clan dogs for a walk, and my mom will have me eating dog biscuits for a month if I'm late" Kiba said as he got up. Akamaru was yipping excitedly at his feet from the mention of the four-letter-word. Kiba tried to think of something meaningful to say to Naruto as he left. Unable to think of anything, he settled for giving him a warning

"If I hear stories that you've been mistreating Hinata, then we won't forgive you" Kiba said

"You don't have to worry about that, I would lay down my life for her" Naruto declared. Tenten and Sakura cocked their heads, they felt the power of Naruto's words

"Uh huh, I'm sure you will. Come on Shino, I'll walk you home" Kiba and Shino left. Everyone heard and felt a near deafening rumble

"I'm getting a bit hungry, I think I'll go find something to eat" Chouji stood and left, not without wordlessly patting Naruto on the shoulder

"I feel like going home now" Naruto said

"Okay Naruto-kun" Hinata turned around and began leading Naruto out the room

"Hold up" Naruto heard Sakura's voice, and felt her presence pull up beside him "…we'll walk the pair of you"

"Sure" Naruto welcomed the company

The four of them exited the Hyuuga estate and walked out onto the street. The sun had since set, to be replaced by the artificial glow of the street lamps

"I'm glad that they understood" Sakura said

"Yeah, I'm lucky to have such good friends" Naruto agreed

"Have you used your cane yet?" Sakura asked, noticing the gift she and Sasuke got for Naruto in his kunai holster

"What? Oh…right, yeah I forgot about that" Naruto said feeling the cane on his leg "…I haven't had a chance to test it out yet"

"What you guys gonna be up to tomorrow?" Naruto asked

"Dunno, when are yourbandages coming off?" Sakura asked curious. Naruto made a confused noise

"Tomorrow it'll have been a week since the mission" Sakura said

"Really? Wow! Who'da thought" Naruto said. He descended into thought. Silence roamed for a few minutes

"So…you worried?" Sakura asked

"I haven't really been thinking about it enough to be worried" Naruto said quietly

"Here's our stop" Hinata said, realising that they had arrived at Naruto's apartment

"So this is your new apartment?" Sakura looked up at the building "…can we have a look?" Hinata acted quickly to stop it

"Maybe some other time, It's been a long day" Hinata said, her real motive was to hide the fact that Naruto lived in a pink apartment, hide it until she spoke with Tsunade

"Okay, hope to see you tomorrow, Naruto" Sakura said "…and hope to _be_ seen by you tomorrow"

"Thanks" Naruto smiled as the two left. Naruto heard Sasuke's grunt before the sound of footsteps leading away. Hinata took Naruto by the hand and led him up the stairs. She quickly brought out the key and let the door open before guiding Naruto inside. Once he was inside, Naruto discarded his jacket on the table in the middle of the room. Hinata quickly put it on the coat hooks that were at the back of the apartment, above the radiator. She too removed her Jacket and hung it alongside Naruto's. She now stood in Naruto's apartment in a tight, black tank top and matching pants. If Naruto could have seen her, he would have most likely blushed and turned away

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata noticed the expression on Naruto's face, his exposed forehead was wrinkled and his lips were in a neutral formation. Hinata noticed that there was a stale smell in the apartment. Hinata decided to let the apartment breath. She slid open one of the large glass panels that went from the floor to the ceiling. She realised that they were actually sliding doors that led out onto balconies. Hinata walked over to Naruto and took him across the sliding door and led him out onto the balcony. She brought Naruto forward towards the decent sized railing that would stop an accident from happening. Naruto put his arms on the rail and leaned on it. He just stood there and listened to the sounds of Konoha

"Naruto-kun, I'm just going to make us a snack. Are you going to be alright?" Hinata asked concerned

"Yeah, I'll be fine" Naruto replied happily. Listening to the sounds of the night made Naruto feel better about the next day. Hinata backed away before turning around and going inside.

Once inside, She went into the compact kitchen and had a look around. She decided not to make anything to complex. Hinata looked through the cupboards and through the Fridge but only found Instant ramen

'_It's to be expected'_ Hinata thought to herself. She removed a couple of cups and began to prepare them

Back outside Naruto had brought out the cane that Sakura had given him

'_Does she expect me to never regain my sight? If she didn't then why did she get me this?'_ Naruto thought _'ah well, she probably just saw it and thought of me' _Naruto reasoned. He started moving it about, felling how it felt. He tested it by tapping it against the railing. It worked really well. He felt the force of the impact through the cane.

'_This will be really useful. I wonder_…_' _Naruto used the cane and his Chakra sense in unison. The combination worked really well, Naruto found he could move around much easier with the two aids. He smiled to himself at this discovery before collapsing the cane and putting it back in it's place. He went back to listening to the night. He heard people on the street below him, but what fascinated him was the wind. He listened to the wind before, but for some reason it seemed all the more alive now. A few minutes later he felt the presence of Hinata behind him, along with the slight aroma of instant ramen

"Naruto-kun"

"Just coming" Naruto said cheerfully as he turned around and headed towards the voice. He felt a hand take his and lead him into the apartment. Hinata guided him to a seat at the table, where the smell of the ramen originated. Naruto's hand instinctively searched for the cup. He felt the heat and carefully moved his hand towards it. Once his hand found the source of –_in Naruto's opinion- _taste-bud heaven. He found that Chopsticks were already in the cup. He began to greedily devour the noodles inside the cup. Hinata was happy to see that Naruto had cheered up and proceeded to eat in a comforting silence. No words passed between the two as they emptied the cups of all noodles

"That was good" Naruto said as he revelled in the fresh taste of Ramen in his mouth

"I'm glad you enjoyed it" Hinata said as she put the two empty cups in the bin under the table

"What do you want to do now?" Hinata asked. Naruto just shrugged

"Have a seat on my couch" Naruto said, he hadn't sat in it yet and decided that he had to. Naruto got to his feet and walked back from the table to where he remembered the couch being. It was a large and _very _soft couch. Naruto sat in the centre and patted the space to his right. Hinata blushed and joined him. Without much warning, Naruto hugged Hinata once she sat down. He hugged her with gently force. So that she was on her back on the couch. Her upper-back and head rested on the soft armrest that moulded itself to Hinata's back so it supported her with comfort. She slipped off her sandals and put her feet up on the couch. Naruto had already done so. His head rested on Hinata's upper chest so that he heard her heartbeat and his legs lay across the couch. Naruto's arms were around Hinata's waist and Hinata's bare arms were loosely around Naruto's neck

"To be honest…I'm scared about the outcome tomorrow" Naruto said. Hinata leaned her head forwards and kiss Naruto on the top of the head

"Don't worry about it" Hinata comforted him. Naruto snuggled in closer to Hinata, making her blush

"What's your favourite colour?" Naruto asked. The question surprised Hinata, but it occurred to her how little Naruto must have know about her

"Purple" Hinata responded. Naruto smiled as he began to feel at peace

"What's your favourite animal?" Naruto asked

"a bird, they're so free" Hinata explained

"What about you, Naruto-kun. What's your favourite colour?"

"Blue, I like orange as well. But my favourite colour is blue" Naruto explained

The night continued like this for a while each exchanging little bits of personal information. Hinata was in the middle of talking about the day that she realised Naruto. Her voice was like an angel to Naruto's ears. He struggled to listen to every word, but his mind needed to re-charge. Hinata continued to speak. She stopped when she heard the light snores coming from Naruto. With a giggle she snuggled in closer to him. Hinata took out a kunai and held it by the blade, she reached up and flicked a conveniently placed light switch with the ring of the kunai

"Good night…my fox" With these last words Hinata drifted off to sleep, in the embrace of the one she loved

**Author's Note:** YES! DONE! Another chapter completed. It took it's time but I got there in the end. Just in case you haven't been keeping track of the time during the progress of the chapters

Day 1 – Chapters 1 2

Day 2 – Chapter 3

Day 3 – Chapters 45

Day 4 – Chapters 67

Day 5 – Chapter 8

Day 6 – Chapter 9 (this chapter)

Day 7 - (next chapter)

**Dual Rasengan – **I suppose I could work that idea in somehow, I'll remember this. Thanks for reading, ta for reviewing and enjoy the story

**KyLewin – **Ah well, sorry 'bout that. Writers block, studying for exams, it all takes up time, but I'm glad I have your forgiveness. I'm having the revenge deal so that Naruto is not treated as a complete cripple

**nArUtOhInAtA forever** – Amazing you say? As for telling the others of Kyuubi, I had a little trouble fitting that in

**Hisoka316 – **Yeah well, it's good that you still read my fic. Thanks for reviewing. You're awesome by the way. "Choosing one's path" enjoyment to the highest level.

**Alixen** – YOU THOUGHT MY FIC WAS DEAD? YOU INSULT ME (not really, but it's nice to know you care) Okay, yes, I'm from Scotland; more precisely, central/eastern Scotland, a little town called Kinross. As for Hiashi? Yeah, well, I try to be different. In practically all other naruhina, Hiashi doesn't approve and he comes off as a right asshole, I try to avoid that, but try to keep him from acting like a softie. I'm considering a time jump, I understand the fact that they are still young, but for the time being I'll try to work around this limitation

**Manatheron – **It was you who pushed me to finish the previous chapter, for that I thank you. Apologies from you are not necessary. One from me is more just, since I take so long for updates.

**Hinatasbiggestfanboy – **well, yeah. Sorry about that, I just wasn't sure what to do at that point. As I read it over I saw what you mean, it was kinda rushed, but thanks for your understanding that those bits are among the difficult category to write

**Kd8gun – **You are of course entitled to your opinion and I am grateful that you voiced it. I'll take in what you say. Thank you for reviewing

**Chibified Kitsunes – **Good praises as usual Chibi-chan. I gave Sakura a reason to hate Naruto especially for you (I know how much you hate pinkie) That was the major reason I wrote that part, the minor reason was to give a short background detail on Sakura. Her father for example, we haven't heard a peep from/about him in the series so I used it. Though I admit the hate scene was kinda short for some people's liking. I'm building up Hinata's character as well. I hate how she doesn't get much respect in the series, but this is the advantage of fanfiction. About Naruto's apartment(colour) I like that idea, at first I just thought that it would be a classic Tsunade revenge plot, but I can work in that it wasn't Tsunade's idea. And I will of course continue to write

**Daniel of lorien – **Well, better late than never. Thanks for reviewing

**Minimerc – **Aww thanks, I love you too. Sasuke was calm in hearing the news because he understood that it wasn't Naruto's fault. I felt I rushed Sakura's reaction though. I hope you can get your fic. Back on the go soon

**Kei-Kun – **Thanks for reading and reviewing. I decided that I would have it so that Hiashi would have preferred the two to be apart but so that he would grudgingly accept it

**Khanaris – **Thank you, I try to limit how many mistakes I have. I must overlook the apostrophe in that. I'm developing Hinata in such a way that she becomes stronger and is better respected. You're right, I did rush the confession scene, for that I'm sorry. Thanks for reading

**Hyuuga – **Thank you! I try to write as best I can, but hearing praise from people like you makes it more enjoyable

**Jayjay – **Hey, thanks man! I really appreciate that. The best since **"Two-halves"**? Clearly you haven't read "**Coming Home" **Thanks for reading

**Kenshinlover2002 – **Yeah well, I thought Jirayia would be the best person to use to take a step back from the handicap.

**Nonengel – **Thanks, I thought I'd do the morning scene to explain why no guards were around the night before. And I thought that I really rushed the explanation scene. But you liked so I guess it was okay

**Cursedmind( ) – **I know how you feel, there are never enough Naruhinas out there

**Danny-171984 – **Thanks, I will always continue to write, I explained you're enquiry at the top of this chapter: why those kids attacked Naruto

**Lt.Shadow – **Thanks for your understanding. I try to finish chapters when I can but I don't have much free time to work on them

**Crakbaby23 – **Aww, don't cry, I HAVE RETURNED! You have confirmed something for me, thank you! I was wondering if my fic was "re-readable" or "read once"

**Arurisonu Akane – **I'll continue to read yours if you continue to read mine. Thanks for reviewing

**Archangel Rhapsody – **Thank you, I try to write as best I can

**Overlord( ) – **Respect back at cha. Sorry 'bout the wait


	10. Full Circle

**Author's Notes: **Hello everybody, remember me? Welcome to the tenth chapter…enjoy your visit!

Thanks to all my reviewers. It's hard to believe that its been eleven months (give or take) since the publish date. A lot has happened since then, my simple idea (taken from MASH) for a fic has evolved into this. There were times where I thought about giving up, but it looks like this fic has been well accepted by you all. It was you, the reviewers, who kept me going, it was you who gave me reason to continue. I write not so much for myself…but for you

This may be a cliché but – Sorry for the late update, I lost motivation for writing, every time I would start writing a family member would walk behind me as I was typing, this is really unnerving and puts me off.

Those of you who know me, know that I am a fan of MASH. As such, I managed to work in a quote from it, see if you cant find it

… - Square brackets are used to write phonetics (sounds) And just in case the square brackets don't show, I have put the phonetics in _italics

* * *

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**Out of Sight, Centre of Mind**

Chapter ten – Full Circle

_dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dum_ Inside the pink covered walls of the main room of an apartment, slept a boy and a girl

_dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dum_ Somewhere in the transition between waking and sleeping was Naruto. He was currently feeling the most comfortable, safest and secure he had ever experienced in his life.

_dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dum_ The same repeating beat was sounding in Naruto's right ear. Naruto didn't dare move in case he disturbed the comfort he felt. He was still half asleep and couldn't remember anything except the process required to breathe. As he breathed, he caught scent of possibly the greatest smell he had ever known to exist. Naruto's four unimpaired were returning one by one as his mind awakened. First to return was his hearing;

_dun-dum…dun-dum… dun-dum_ all Naruto could hear was the repeating beat in his ear, it was very hypnotic, Naruto once again found himself under it's spell

The second sense to return was Naruto's scent. He could still smell the sweet scent that he forced himself not to drool over

His sense of feeling came back subtlety. His head was laying against something soft and warm, his neck was being supported by something that Naruto could only think of as a cushion. His legs were seemingly tangled with something. His right arm was being weighed on by the mass that he himself was half lying on top of. His left arm was beside his head. Naruto's forearm was lying onto something that felt the same as what was under his neck. Finally his hand was in contact with what felt like…skin

Like a tap filling up a water glass, Naruto memory returned. His intimate moments with Hinata, the sharing of personal information between the two of them and how he fell asleep in her arms. Naruto finally realised what everything he felt was. The steady beat he was hearing was Hinata's heart beat, Naruto's head rested on the left side of Hinata's chest. The 'cushion' that was supporting Naruto's neck was…Naruto's face turned an incredible shade of royal purple. He then felt the tenderness underneath his left forearm as well as the skin under his fingertips. With a forced, audible gulp Naruto moved his fingers slightly. He was relieved when he realised that the skin was only her neck. The colour faded ever so slightly from Naruto's face but returned a moment later with a vengeance when he felt a part of his body react to the extreme closeness of a female. He heard a sigh over the top of Hinata's heartbeat, before she snuggled in closer to the petrified Naruto. He was shaking, unknowing of what to do, he could hardly move because Hinata had her arms linked behind Naruto's back. Naruto carefully and reluctantly lifted his left arm from Hinata's body and pulled the hem of his shirt down to cover his embarrassment. Naruto's movement caused Hinata to stir. The loss of pressure and warmth on her chest had her moving uncomfortably. Naruto was a moment away from returning his arm to where it was but stopped himself when he realised _what_ he'd have to intentionally touch. In Naruto's mind it was a no-win situation, so he decided to take the innocent way out. Which was to wait with his arm firmly on his leg

'_That…is not _my_ leg'_ Naruto thought when he failed to feel his hand on his leg. He did however feel something under his hand

'_I have terrible luck'_ Naruto groaned in his mind. He realised with yet more embarrassment that his hand was on Hinata's thigh…not his own. It wouldn't have been so bad - if Hinata hadn't woken up.

Hinata's process of waking up was faster than Naruto's. She was fully awake in seconds. _What_ woke her up was probably what had made her wake up with such speed. The loss of warmth on her chest was enough to slightly awaken her conscious mind, What made her fully waken up was the sudden contact with her thigh. Her body was still half asleep even if her mind wasn't. This stopped her from jumping in surprise. Naruto should have been unaware that Hinata was awake. But there was one factor that alerted Naruto that she was no longer asleep

_dun-dum…dun-dum…dun-dumdun-dumdun-dum _The tempo of the beat increased. Naruto smiled as Hinata's heartbeat rapidly increased, though he was disappointed with the fact that they'd have to get up now

"morning Hinata-chan" Naruto greeted softly. He didn't even notice himself tracing circles on Hinata's thigh with his index finger. Hinata's heartbeat was still racing, Naruto was still practically hypnotised by the beat. Over it all, Naruto heard Hinata's breath. He then felt her arms, which were loosely around his back, tighten and slide up to Naruto's head. Hinata cradled Naruto's head between her arms and kissed the top of his hair

"morning" came Hinata's soft, heavenly voice. Naruto heard the tired tone in her voice and found the reason why she didn't stutter or react timidly at Naruto's contact with her thigh, to which Naruto was still tracing circles on

"I could stay here all day" Naruto said softly, being wary not to break the mood that had formed over the two. Hinata hummed her acknowledgment. With a content smile Naruto's hand drew tiredly up the side of Hinata's body to her right shoulder blade where his other hand was. Naruto shifted up closer to Hinata, he tightened his grip around her back and to her legs with his own. Naruto still heard Hinata's heartbeat, it was holding steady at the rapid rate it was at. Naruto heard a very audible gulp, he also felt Hinata's body temperature increase, most likely from a blush. Naruto could work out that Hinata's shy side had returned. As much as he didn't want to move, Naruto didn't want to make Hinata feel uncomfortable either. It was an easy decision when he thought about it. With a few movements, Naruto pushed up off the couch and into a sitting position. Hinata had been brought up to a sitting position by Naruto's movement because her arms her still firmly around his back. Hinata leaned into Naruto in a hug

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun…I can't be with you for today" Hinata said regretfully. Naruto remembered her training session and sighed in disappointment. Disappointment at not being with Hinata for the day, not her going to train to become stronger

"I understand. But you'll be back later, yeah? I want you to be the first person I see when I open my eyes" Naruto said. Hinata blushed anew and increased the pressure on the hug and planted a soft kiss on the base of his neck. Naruto's neck tingled where Hinata had kissed him. With a gulp and infinite care, Naruto shifted both of their forms so that there legs hung over the edge of the couch

"As much as I'd love to, We can't sit here all day" Naruto said while rubbing Hinata's back softly. He heard a heavy sigh come from the girl in his arms.

"You're right" Hinata's soft, tired voice said "…I'll go make us some breakfast" With that, Hinata stood up and left the warm embrace of Naruto

"Wait, you don't have to" Naruto said

"It's okay" Hinata said. She was feeling a bit cold from the loss of heat from Naruto and shivered slightly, she was only wearing her purple leggings and her black tank top. Hinata made her way over to Naruto's little kitchen. She walked through the doorway and starting looking for something to eat

'_Hmm…Naruto-kun's been having a little too much Ramen as of late'_ Hinata thought as she looked through the cupboards that were stockpiled with cups of Ramen. The only thing edible that wasn't Ramen was bread and butter. With a shrug of her shoulders, Hinata put as many slices bread in the toaster as it could hold and set it for a light toast. Hinata then looked in the fridge, looking for something to drink. She retrieved a carton of orange juice from the back of the under-filled fridge. She brought it out and placed I on the countertop, then proceeded to look for a couple of glasses. She checked in one of the high cupboards and found a few glasses. She quickly brought them out and filled them with orange juice. The moment that she put the carton back down, the toast popped out of the toaster

'_Perfect timing' _Hinata thought. She quickly removed the hot toast and put it on a breadboard. Finally she reached out and took hold of the butter container. She found a butter knife in a drawer and began scraping the butter on the hot slices of toast

Naruto wasn't sure of what to do. There wasn't much _to _do aside from sit there on the couch. Hinata walked out of the kitchen with the fresh toast and the glasses of orange juice on a small tray that she had found. Naruto's ears perked at the sound of Hinata's footsteps. Hinata deposited the tray on the table

"Naruto-kun? Would you like some help?" Hinata asked. She was aware of how much he had been helped over the week. She also knew that if she kept on helping him with every little thing then he would never get used to his blindness if it turns out to be permanent. Naruto silently appreciated this

"I'll be fine, thanks" Naruto stood up and stepped over to the table. He banged his knee against a chair by accident but didn't make a fuss as he sat down. Hinata smiled and sat down also

"It's a big day for the both of us" Naruto said. Hinata nodded

"Have some toast" Hinata put a few slices on a small plate and placed it in front of Naruto

"Thanks" Naruto grinned as he picked up the toast and bit into it with a satisfying crunch. As they had grown accustomed to over the week, the two ate in silence.

It didn't take Naruto long to finish his toast, Hinata wasn't feeling too hungry so she left a few slices

"Here, Naruto-kun" Hinata slid the glass of juice into Naruto's hand. Naruto accepted it and downed the entire glass. Hinata giggled at his acceptance of the breakfast that she prepared

"I can't wait till tonight" Naruto exclaimed

"Why?" Hinata asked

"After the bandages come off I can finally have a shower without having to worry about the state of the bandages. My scalp has been itching all week" Naruto said scratching his head. An idea formed in Hinata's mind and it wasn't Dark Hinata's suggestion. Though she was proud of the shy girl for thinking of it

'_I always knew you were more like me, it's always the shy ones that you look out for'_ Dark Hinata made her presence known to Hinata. Hinata groaned inside her mind at the reappearance of her dark side

'_Suggest it and I wont bother you for the rest of the day'_ Dark Hinata promised. Hinata had her doubts, especially since the two halves of herself were with her at all times

"I-If it bothers you _that_ much, Naruto-kun, Th-then I-I…I could…w-wash your h-hair for you" Hinata blushed and stuttered her way through her sentence. Naruto looked very red in the face

"I-I don't know. I mean, my bandages could come off and damage my eyes and screw up the day for me" Naruto said. In truth; Naruto was severely tempted to take Hinata's offer up on the shower but he knew what could happen. Hinata was about to give up when her darkside persisted that she continue

"Uh, I suppose I-I could cover up the window and put a hand towel over your eyes" Hinata suggested

"It's okay, r-really" Naruto put up his arms in front of him to shrug it off. Hinata made a disappointed sigh. Naruto picked up on this and grinned evilly

"If you really want, then you could give me a shower tonight" Naruto said. Hinata missed a heartbeat and coughed

"U-Uhm, well, uhh" Hinata couldn't form any words from the embarrassment

"I'll take that as a yes then" Naruto said, still grinning. Before Hinata had a chance to respond in any way, Naruto stood up and stretched

"Anyway, lets not waste anymore time. You have to get to your training" Naruto said. Hinata had almost forgotten again

"B-But what about you?" Hinata asked, concerned

"huh?" This confused Naruto

"You need someone to help you around today" Hinata pointed out

"Oh yeah…well, we'll work something out" Naruto said "…come on, let's go" Hinata smiled and stood up. She quickly made her way around the table and took Naruto by the arm. She effortlessly guided Naruto to and out the door.

Once they were outside, Naruto took a deep breath

"I think it's gonna be a good day" Naruto said, feeling the calmness of the morning air

"Wait, I-I forgot my jacket, hold on" Hinata said before quickly darting back inside to retrieve her jacket from the coat hooks where she left it last night. She wondered if Naruto would like his jacket as well, seeing it hung up beside hers. Then again, it wasn't a cold day; the temperature was quite pleasant. She only wanted her jacket because her black tank top was something far too revealing to be worn outside. She quickly came back outside to see Naruto waiting patiently for her. With a small smile she took her place beside Naruto and snaked her arm around his waist as she had been accustomed to. Naruto mirrored.

Naruto and Hinata walked together, attracting stares from villagers who could not believe the clearly intimate union between the Demon Fox and the Hyuuga Heiress. Hinata noticed the stares, noting the mixed reactions. Some villagers showed suppressed disgust others were shaking their heads and chuckling. It was almost exactly the impression that Hinata was expecting; Being the second most known member of the Hyuuga clan -second to her father- the entire village knew who she was. To be seen with Naruto caused great confusion within the villagers

'_I wonder why I didn't notice the villagers' reactions before' Hinata_ thought, The reason behind her ignorance was that when she had guided Naruto before, Hinata had kept her head down. Now; she felt more confident and although she didn't notice, she was walking upright and boldly, not ashamed or embarrassed of who she was or whom she was with. Hinata didn't consciously realise the boost of confidence that being with Naruto gave her. To the trained eye; the clearest evidence of her lack of insecurity was the fact that her jacket was unzipped. Those who knew Hinata, knew that she wore her jacket on even the hottest of days, it gave her a false sense of a barrier to protect her. The fact that her jacket was unzipped was an indication that she had brought down her walls and was now open. Hinata herself couldn't explain the feeling inside of her. As Hinata glanced around she saw the Ninja Academy

"Naruto-kun, Why don't we have a look inside the Ninja Academy, there might be someone there to help you" Hinata suggested, thinking that Iruka might be there

"Yeah, sounds good to me" Naruto nodded. Hinata noticed that Naruto had become slightly quieter over the week. Maybe she was having an effect on him as he was on her. He still had his outbursts but he was no longer in a constant state of hyperactivity. Hinata led Naruto through the gates. The sound of faint running entered Naruto's ears. He assumed that it was merely the students in a Physical Training lesson. He didn't just allow himself to be led, he put as much effort into moving as Hinata did. Naruto hated the thought of being treated like a cripple…though the idea that Hinata would be with him all the time was appealing

'_No! I can't take Hinata-chan away from her life, this is the entire reason I learned the Chakra-Sense; in case I am without sight permanently. I can't just rely on others, I must hold up my end and prove to all that I will continue my existence as a Ninja of the Leaf' _Naruto declared to himself. An idea struck Naruto after his train of thought ended.

'I can't use my chakra-sense on a permanent basis because of the fact that it drains too much Chakra to maintain, although the amount that I use up isn't enough that I pass out, but it's enough to cause me to weaken slightly' Naruto remembered in Tsunade's office when he came over light-headed from the use of the sense

'…it's all to do with the amount I use. When I use it I release the chakra from my entire body. If I limit how much of my body I release it from then that would increase the amount of time I could use it for. I could use my hands like I've been practising but that wouldn't be very practical' Naruto thought, trying to work a way to perfect his chakra sense for mobility

'my feet, my legs…I could release chakra from my legs. I'll be able to sense anything on the ground and avoid it. I suppose it would be like walking around with a cap pulled down; I'd only see what is on the ground in front of me' Naruto wasted no time in putting the theory into practise. With Naruto's ability to release chakra for tasks such as climbing trees and walking on water, he found no hard task to extend this skill to include releasing chakra from his leg from the knee down.

"Mind your step Naruto-kun, there are a few steps" Hinata warned. Naruto snapped out of his thought processes to acknowledge Hinata's words

"Okay, thanks" Naruto slowly stepped up the hazard that Hinata had pointed out to him

"I wonder what's gonna happen after tonight" Naruto thought aloud

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, Naruto was up the steps and she had resumed her position at her boyfriend's side

"Well, you were given the week off to help me, but you cant be with me all the time –unfortunately-" Naruto said the last part under his breath, but Hinata heard I clearly enough and with a blush, snuggled in closer to Naruto, slipping under his arm. She had to crouch down ever so slightly. In truth Hinata was taller than Naruto, but not by very much. You couldn't tell unless you focused on the pair of them. And even then, the height difference was so little that no one really noticed…But Hinata did, she had the eyes to tell her these things.

The peculiar thing was that in the past few days when Hinata slipped under Naruto's arm, she didn't crouch down at all, in fact she seemed smaller than him. This was because of Hinata's shy nature and her tendency to try and shrink into her coat, she herself didn't realise that she crouched ever so slightly, thus making herself seem deceptively small. But with her new found confidence. Hinata had forgotten this habit and stood tall, proud…and ever-so-slightly taller than Naruto

Hinata guided Naruto through the open door of the academy and down a corridor. She stopped Naruto at a door, then knocked before opening it. Naruto heard the voices of the Chuunin and Jounin inside the room, along with that he smelt the faint smell of coffee, an indication that they were on a break from their teaching duties

"Excuse me" He heard Hinata's voice, louder than normal. A familiar voice answered

"Oh, Hinata, good to see you" the owner of the voice exited the room and shut the door "…Naruto, it's good to see…what's with the forehead protector?" the voice of a tired Umino Iruka asked

"Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, as he lunged towards the voice

"Th-that's enough Naruto, now answer my question" Iruka said, he had been looking forward to going home and climbing into his nice soft, warm bed after his recent mission. With a small smile Naruto released the Chuunin and took a step back, accidentally bumping into Hinata in the process

"Oh, sorry Hinata-chan" Naruto apologised. Iruka briefly examined the two before him

'exactly what have I missed' Iruka thought to himself taking into account Naruto's forehead protector as well as the interaction between Naruto and the normally shy girl that was Hinata '…she looks different somehow' Iruka couldn't put his finger on it and discarded his thoughts

"Naruto?" Iruka said, returning the boy's attention to himself

"Oh, right…"

'He is a lot quieter since I last saw him, he hasn't even pestered me for some ramen yet' Iruka idly thought

"…a wee bit of an accident on my last mission…" Naruto carefully explained "…long story short, I'm blind till at least tonight" Iruka's light-hearted attitude dropped in an instant

"Y-you're blind?" Iruka asked in disbelief

"Either that or Obachan has blown a small joke WAY out of proportion" Naruto said trying hard not to make his former sensei worried. Hinata heard Naruto's words and was reminded of Naruto's pink apartment, she remembered that she still had to talk to the Hokage about it

"how bad is it?" Iruka asked seriously. Naruto really didn't want Iruka to be concerned, he wasn't doing a spectacular job of it though

"well…it's like being unable to see out of one eye…except I'm unable to see out of both" Naruto made a mental note to 'not become a diplomat'

"HAVE YOU SEEN A DOCTER ABOUT THIS? WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT AND ABOUT, YOU SHOULD BE AT HOME!" Iruka exploded in a panic of worry. Naruto slapped his forehead. Hinata was glad that someone was concerned for Naruto's sake

"Oh, I almost forgot, my apartment was trashed as well" Naruto said with an off-handed smile

"WHAT?"

'Nice going Naruto' Naruto thought to himself

"Iruka-sensei, chill, it's alright, I'm not worried, so you shouldn't be either" Naruto raised his arms in front of himself "…besides, it's all been taken care of. Obachan was kind enough to give me a new apartment, and with people such as Hinata-chan here to help me, then I couldn't be happier" Naruto grinned as he slipped an arm around Hinata's waist. Iruka didn't know what to think; In the short time he had been away so much had changed

"uh…I-Iruka-sensei? I was wondering if you could be so kind as to take Naruto off my hands for a while? I-I have to go home to train" Hinata asked

"Ahh…well, I was going to go home, I've just come off a mission and I needed some rest" Iruka heard the disappointed sigh that emanated from the shy girl "…but I suppose it'll just be for a few hours" Hinata instantly brightened up

"Hinata-chan? You sound almost glad to be rid of me" Naruto said playfully. Hinata picked up on this and rubbed his back affectionately and pecked him on the cheek

"See you later" Hinata waved her goodbye, turned and left

"Well Naruto, what do you want to do? Wanna get some Ramen" Iruka asked, full well knowing the answer

"Maybe later" Naruto answered, having just had some breakfast

"Okay then lets g…WHAT? YOU DON'T WANT RAMEN?" Iruka yelled

"Quiet down, this is a school you know" Naruto said. Iruka's jaw was hanging loose

"Don't you like Ramen anymore?" Iruka asked in shock

"Sir, you offend me! You ever say that again I may just have to challenge you to a duel" Naruto said in a fake 'Noble' manner as if he were protecting a lady's honour. A deathly silence loomed over the two

"Okay…so that's a no on the ramen front?" Iruka confirmed

"Yes"

"Yes?"

"No"

"What?"

"Later. I'm just not hungry right now" Naruto said before falling into the trap "…with being on the inactive list I can't do any missions nor can I train so I have nothing to waste my energy with, eliminating the need for my somewhat large intake of ramen" Naruto explained

"You sound nothing like the Naruto I knew" Iruka said

"Come on, lets get out of here, I want to hear why you haven't been around for the week" Naruto said excitedly. With a smile made his way towards the door

"Well, it all started when Tsunade…"

"…Iruka-sensei" Naruto's voice sound annoyed. Iruka turned around to see that Naruto hadn't moved

"Right, right. You're blind" Iruka shook his head and returned to Naruto's side to guide him by the shoulder, out the door

"Well, It all started when Tsunade-sama handed me the mission dossier…" Iruka began to retell his mission from the start. He was once again interrupted when Naruto walked into the door that Iruka had stopped at to open. Naruto was not best pleased as he rubbed his nose

"hehe, er, sorry" Iruka said sheepishly. Carefully he opened the door before cautiously moving forward with an annoyed Naruto

"I opened it up and my mission was to rendezvous with one of our spies that are working inside the Hidden Sound…err…I shouldn't have told you that" Iruka realised his folly only after he had made it; spilling classified information to a lower ninja is a dangerous offence

"Told me what?" Naruto asked innocently

"Idiot! You should have been listening" Iruka said angrily "…So anyway, there I was sitting there for two days in the cold, forced to stay awake because of the danger of being so close to the Sound border" Iruka had just stepped outside into the warmth of mid-afternoon, Naruto on hand

"Why were you near the Sound?" Naruto asked

"I cant tell you. So anyway, on the third day the spy found me in the pre-determined meeting spot. I was in a bad way, sleep-deprived, starved and barely hydrated. He thought that I was posing as a Leaf Shinobi because I was in a bad shape, I guess he assumed that I looked so bad because I had been in a fight with the 'real' contact and taken his place. He refused to believe that I was really the person he was meant to meet. I eventually convinced him and he handed me some information and I staggered off back to Konoha. Easy? I think not. I had to dodge patrols, scouts and even had to stay under the cover of darkness to get home. Being forced to eat what ever I found. After I returned I dropped off the package. THEN I had to come here to see how the academy students were doing" Iruka sighed, he remembered what it was like, he could still taste the foul mushrooms that he had to eat"…I intend to sleep for an eternity after I'm finished with you" Iruka added as an afterthought

"You may not want to have some Ramen but I do" Iruka declared

"Alright, alright. Fine" Naruto relented. Iruka walked out of the Academy grounds and started off towards the Ichiraku

Hinata was nearing the Hyuuga estate with an air of confidence surrounding her. She looked ahead, She could see the guardsmen as well as a few clan members at the windows of the large house in the compound. The most noticeable skyline feature that the Hyuuga house casts is the watchman's tower. The 'tower was nothing more than a raised platform that looked down all around the Hyuuga estate. The platform was so high so that the blind spot of the byakugan was aimed towards the sky, giving the designated watchmen an unbroken view of the entire estate and surrounding streets. Hinata could see the currant watchman kneeling on the platform in his duty Kimono. His grey hair was blowing slightly in the wind. The duty of a watchman was reserved for elderly Hyuuga who are unable to perform mission and do not have a seat on the council and so they spend there days on lookout, sleeping and attending formal events in their off hours, fortunately they are permitted to eat on duty. Even so, it was a job that Hinata would not like to have; she didn't believe that she would be up to it.

As Hinata passed through the gates, the guardsmen nodded to her. She returned the gesture and proceeded to the main training grounds. The training equipment was still there, but Hiato was not. Hinata assumed that he would be there momentarily, the Watchman must have passed word to him. Hinata quickly ran to her room to retrieve her training robe. She picked up the purple top from her room and quickly tied the black belt around her waist. She ran back to the training ground where she saw Hiato emerge from one of the sliding doors. Wordlessly, he walked and stood in the Yin-Yang decorated circular platform and stood on one side. Hinata assumed that she was to do the same. She wasted no time in doing so. Hiato opened his eyes

"Lets see how much you have remembered" Hiato said before rushing the girl. Hinata was surprised that he was the one to take the offensive

'Last time, he only defended, yet he still managed to wear me down, this is going to be difficult' Hinata thought as Hiato approached. Hinata hadn't enough time to activate her Byakugan. She dropped into the defensive stance and prepared for the approaching man. He started off with an open palm strike, aiming for Hinata's chest. Hinata quickly ducked underneath in an attempt to get behind the man. Unfortunately she met Hiato's knee, which came up to meet her as she ducked down. Given the short amount of time, Hinata twisted her body to direct the attack to skiff her side…it still hurt. The strike to her side had caused her body to spin, Hinata used this to her advantage. She planted her hands on the ground and boosted up into a handstand, once she was up, she utilised the momentum and split her legs in front and behind her. She spun with her legs now ready to release chakra. As she spun, she felt a contact on her leg and ceased her rotation with a smile and returned to her feet. She returned to her feet a little too late to witness the wince of pain that Hiato showed as Hinata delivered the chakra filled kick that caught him in the back.

"Very Good" Hiato praised, an unnoticeable quiver in his voice "…we can begin" This confused Hinata

"B-Begin?" Hinata said, a bit out of breath but confidant as ever.

"Yes, do you really think that this is proper Hyuuga training, how is this any different from regular training? Now, we begin" Hiato said, walking over to the training equipment that had remained untouched

'Oh boy' Hinata thought, feeling a nervous shiver

Naruto and Iruka were happily slurping down their bowls of Ramen. Iruka was savouring every drop and strand while Naruto was devouring his without stopping for breath, even if he wasn't hungry, it was still Ramen. Iruka finished his bowl and turned to Naruto after signalling for another two bowls

"So what's been happening? You and Hinata-san especially" Iruka asked

"Well, you know how I told you that my apartment was trashed…well, there as a note left as well, putting into words the general feel of hatred towards me" Naruto explained

"That's happened before though, why was it any different this time?" Iruka asked

"I don't know, probably because I haven't had to see the hatred and only being with Hinata's kindness gave me security but that one note tore that all down, taking me with it. If it wasn't for Hinata-chan…" Naruto decided not to finish his sentence, he was flicking is forehead protector with the nail of his thumb in thought "…she made me feel good about who I was, for that, she has my love"

"Love? Wow" Iruka was surprised that his former pupil had found love in the space of time that he had been away "…I'm happy for you"

"Thanks" Naruto smiled, still flicking his forehead protector

"It's about time she got up the courage to tell you how she feels" Iruka said idly. Naruto choked on the noodles that he was eating

"WHAT? YOU MEAN YOU KNEW ABOUT IT TOO? It can't have been that obvious" Naruto was in shock. Iruka shook his head while chuckling

"It was that obvious, you were too busy focusing on Sakura to realise how she felt in the academy" Iruka said. That struck a nerve in Naruto as he went silent as the grave

'He's right, I did ignore her back then…Even before the Chuunin exams I didn't even give her a second glance' Naruto thought to himself. Iruka sensed a change in mood and turned to look at Naruto, who had his head down, the hand that was flicking his forehead protector was entangled into his spiky, golden fringe

'oops' Iruka thought to himself, he felt the need to change the subject

"I hope you haven't been causing trouble over the week" Iruka said. A second passed, then two, then three then Naruto's head sprang up

"I DON'T CAUSE TROUBLE! Trouble just…happens to find me" Naruto said cautiously. Iruka chuckled heartily at the boy. He tiredly leaned his head on his arm which was propped up on the counter

"So what exactly has happened over the past week?" Iruka asked his eyes were having trouble focusing. Naruto grinned inanely…how he loved telling grand stories of his adventures

"Well…it all started on the mission, Sasuke –as usual- was having his ass whipped by these mercenaries…" How Iruka hated it when Naruto told them like this

Hinata was having a far less fun time. Hiato had essentially deactivated her left arm during one of his strikes. This was much more intense than Hinata had initially thought.

To the side, the practise dummy that had all the tenketsus marked on its wooden frame…was now just a pile of splinters on the ground, an assortment of weapons lay bent and broken around her feet. Hiato stood about twelve feet away from Hinata. Hinata had to alter her stance to compensate for her lack of use in her left arm. She now stood to the side, her right foot where her weight is centred, her left foot back for balance, her left arm lay behind her body, motionless. Her right arm was poised in front of her, looking like a scorpion tail, ready to strike.

Hiato held in his hands, three kunai, each looked identical. Each had an explosive tag wrapped on its handle

"These three kunai have on their handle: an explosive tag. Only one is active and can explode, it is up to you to decide which…and act accordingly" Hiato began juggling the three kunai with expert precision so to confuse Hinata, every so often he would flip one behind his back and catch it when it came over his shoulder. He never once broke eye contact with Hinata.

Hinata had her Byakugan activated, she could see the way the chakra was flowing through each of the tags. One of the tags chakra flow was different to the others, she couldn't be sure since the three kunai were constantly being flipped around. Within a blink of an eye, she saw all three kunai flying towards her. She calculated each trajectory, the kunai were coming towards her in a parallel formation, two in front and one behind in the middle. It was then, as Hinata had made up her mind and began moving that she noticed that the chakra signature on each tag changed. In that split second her plan changed. The kunai were now in range. An adrenaline rush hit and the world seemed to slow down around Hinata. She jumped midway into the air and aligned her body so it was parallel to the ground. With the toe of her right foot and the heel of her left, she kicked the two kunai on the outside away from her. She landed just in time to catch the third kunai by the ring, she spun it around a few times on her finger before launching it high into the air. Simultaneously, all three kunai exploded, around her, Hinata wasn't fazed in the slightest that all three kunai had exploded when she was told that only one would. The raising of an eyebrow on Hiato showed that he was impressed that she had figured out that all three kunai were going to detonate.

"You lied to me" Hinata stated, her tone wasn't one of hurt, nor of surprise but of humour

"Sometimes you cant always trust information you are given in the field" Hiato said "…lets move onto the last lesson of the day" From nowhere Hiato brought out a nearly uncountable number of weapons

'bugger' Hinata mentally exclaimed, the small smirk faded from her lips

"I trust you know this part of the lesson" Hiato said as he arranged all the weapons on tables all around him. Each weapon was specifically designed for throwing, it had already been established that Hiato was deathly accurate in his use of projectile weapons.

This was the lesson that Hinata had been dreading

"So anyway, after I had delivered a swift kick to the back of fuzzy-eyebrows' knee, he went down. But moments later he found new strength and laid into me with everything he had. One of his attacks removed my headband and my bandages, which exposed my eyes

zzz…zzz…zzz

Naruto stopped retailing the week that he had had. Iruka had fallen asleep long ago but Naruto didn't even notice until now. Naruto was now aware of Iruka's lack of consciousness, he could plainly hear the snores from the exhausted Chuunin. He quickly and none too lightly poked him in the side, Iruka stirred slightly

"…hnnn…not now Anko…" Iruka sleepily slapped Naruto's hand away. A cold shiver ran down Naruto's spine at hearing that name. Iruka pulled his remaining hand away from the counter so he could rub his sore neck…unfortunately; the hand he pulled away was the hand that was supporting his head. All that Naruto heard was a loud 'thud' and the grumbling of a Chuunin whose face was now bruised. As if it was made of rubber; Iruka's head bounced back up so that he was in an upright position, fully awake.

"Sign what, Radar?" Iruka said. Naruto was severely confused by his choice of words. Iruka looked around, seeing where he was, blushed at his use of the quote from his favourite comedy.

"Uhhh, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto questioned. Iruka misunderstood

"yeah, yeah. There was this traveller from the west and he had these film reels with him, he sold them to us, and they have been playing in the movie houses" Iruka explained

"…No, did you fall asleep during one of my story tellings?" Naruto asked with venom on his tongue

"Ah ha…ha ha ha, er, no of course not, heh heh" Iruka grinned sheepishly. Iruka could just imagine the rolling of Naruto's eyes right about now.

"Why don't we head over to the Hyuuga estate, then you can meet up with Hinata and I can go home and sleep" Iruka said, the tone in his voice said that it wasn't a suggestion

"I'm not sure if Hinata-chan will be done with her training…"

"Naruto!" Iruka's voice dripped with irritation as well as exhaustion

"…but you know, we could always go over their just to see her" Naruto sensed Iruka's true meaning

"I'm glad you agree, lets go" Iruka said while stifling a yawn

Hinata walked along the central path of the Hyuuga estate, she had cuts and bruises across her body. She was clearly hurting but she could still stand and walk. She did not wear her jacket, it hurt every time it rubbed against her body. Fortunately, the weather had not changed much, and it was still a pleasant temperature. As she looked up she saw Naruto and Iruka walking up the main road that led to the main gates. Iruka looked like the walking dead, there was nothing to keep him from falling asleep as he walked, Hinata wondered if he was even awake as he walked, and Naruto was blind so neither of the two saw Hinata walk up to them.

"You two don't look too good" Hinata said, causing the two in front of her to jump in mortal terror. Iruka, seeing who it was, smiled and began walking away, seeing as he was no longer needed he could –finally- go home.

"Hinata-chan? We were just coming to see…meet with you" Naruto corrected himself. Hinata smiled softly before moving to take Naruto's arm. She took hold of his left arm and put it around herself, but she winced and hissed through her teeth when his arm brushed the bruises and cuts that all but covered her body.

"Hinata-chan? What's wrong?" Naruto asked concerned

"Training was…unpleasant" Hinata chose her word carefully

"Sorry" Naruto understood "…is it bad?" Naruto asked

"Imagine your clothes filled with shards of glass" Hinata said

"Ouch" Naruto said, Hinata nodded to herself

"But it was worth the pain" Hinata said proudly

"Have you put any of your ointment on the cuts" Naruto said

"I've run out" Hinata said

"You can use some of mine…AHH SHOOT! I forgot my jacket!" Naruto said in anger, feeling only his t-shirt

"It's okay, I don't mind" Hinata smiled at Naruto's good intentions. She saw the expression on his mouth and forehead and smiled again

"Or were you just looking for another 'thank-you kiss' like yesterday?" Hinata grinned at seeing the redness under his headband. She put her hand on his jaw line and brought his face to hers and joined their lips in a kiss, not as intense as the one they shared yesterday but not as simple as a 'peck'. Hinata brought her head back to look at Naruto

"Thank you anyway" Hinata said before walking Naruto away from the estate

"When will you go and see Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked. Naruto shrugged his shoulders

"I don't know…a couple of hours from now?" Naruto said

"Okay, what do you want to do until then?" Hinata asked, checking the time

"Well, I'm not hungry…I cant train under pain of death from Obachan…" Naruto was struggling

"We could take a walk outside the village" Hinata cut in

"…Perfect" Naruto grinned and let Hinata guide him.

As they walked Hinata got the eerie sensation of being watched but shrugged it off as mind tricks from chakra depletion. Hiato had taught her how to open specific chakra points to allow her to reactivate her left arm. It took up a noticeable amount of chakra but not enough to make her feel weak, her left arm felt heavy but mobile and it felt like it was burning but she pushed all these minor pains –and the feeling of being watched- to the back off her mind as she focused on Naruto. After her training session, Hinata was feeling tired and weak. The session was shorter than the last one but what it lacked in duration, it made up for in intensity. Not only had she gained a better understanding of the battlefield, not to mention the two milestones of skill and power that she received. Hinata was glowing with pride of herself. She was smiling…she hadn't stopped smiling after the training.

She wasn't sure if she should be taking Naruto outside the village but she reassured herself that it was just a wander outside the gates then coming back, what could happen?

As they walked Hinata noticed the amount of people were waning, as she had seen on previous night. She wondered why, it was beginning to get dark but it was still relatively early.

'I suppose they are afraid of an attack at night, people feel safest when in their homes' Hinata thought. She was almost an expert on reading people and analysing them at a glance, it was a natural skill, this was what allowed her to see the pain that Naruto bottles up.

Despite the decreasing number of people, she could still feel the itching feeling of being watched, it was very unnerving. Once again she just shrugged it off and continued to walk with Naruto.

Soon enough the gates came into view. They were open, a rare sight in the attack fearing time that Konoha was in. There was a pleasant breeze being blown in through the gate. It gave Hinata Goosebumps on her exposed arms, but she found it pleasing, especially being with Naruto. She could feel Naruto's bare arm on the back of her neck, his arm was warm and the breeze was having no effect on him. With a content sigh she snuggled in deeper towards Naruto, resting her head on his shoulder, while still making sure that she was keeping him steady and guided. Hinata continued walking, Naruto by her side, there was a single guard that Hinata could see and at least three others that she knew would be lurking nearby. The guard eyeballed both Naruto and Hinata but made no attempt to prevent them from leaving. After all; Konoha citizens were allowed to leave and enter the village at will. Though it was harder to enter the village than to leave ever since the Itachi incident.

Hinata planned on a gentle stroll outside the gate and through the forest surrounding Konoha then coming back and heading to the hospital.

The moment they walked out of the gates, Hinata felt revitalised. She was away from the hustle and bustle of the village and now, alone with Naruto. She drew a deep breath through her nose, taking in the freshness of the air away from ramen stands, hotsprings and bars

Hinata guided Naruto along the dirt road that led away from Konoha.

"Where are you taking me Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked curiously

"Just for a little stroll" Hinata said "…just something that I used to do when father would find me a complete failure, it really helps to get away from it all, out here…there's no one to look down on you…no expectations to live up to" Naruto became concerned

"Hinata-chan? Are you alright?" Naruto asked.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Hinata turned to look at Naruto's face, she read the expression of concern

"You're fine now…what about before?" Naruto pried "…You seem to have all these little comforts and retreats that you used to come to. Has everything been alright in the past?"

"Well I…" She began but saw the look on his face and couldn't lie to him "…not always fine" Hinata said quietly, her feet beginning to drag, she took a glance behind her and noticed that they were now out quite far, the gates were still just in view. Naruto pulled her to a stop and held both of her arms so that they were face to face. He did this so that he could get a straight answer out of the girl as well as it being easier to comfort her if she got emotional. Hinata looked up from the ground, she had reverted from the confident 'new' Hinata and the shy version had returned. When her head rose she looked at Naruto's forehead protector -secured over his eyes- and saw her own eyes in the reflection, reminding her of all those confrontations with her father about her uselessness. Her head sank again

"I didn't have a pleasant childhood" Hinata said so softly that Naruto almost missed over the wind blown leaves around them

"Join the club" Naruto said unintentionally harshly, he played back what he said in his head and regretted his word choice "…I mean, I understand. But there must be more to it" Naruto said softly

"I-I used to be able to live with my underachievement…more precisely, my father was able to, he used to have an endless patience with me. Until she left" Hinata said sadly

"Who?"

"my m-mother" Hinata sniffed. Naruto had no idea how to proceed

"Is she…dead?" The sorrow filled sniff that Hinata gave was a dagger to Naruto's heart

"I h-hope not…she left on a mission and was never heard from a-again, that was five years ago" Hinata shook slightly "…after that my father became cold, accepting only strength and discarding weakness in the slightest form, including me"

"and you came to places like the flower garden or went for a stroll outside the village to clear your head" Naruto said

"I came outside the village to run away" Hinata remembered the childhood experience

"I never made much farther than here before they caught me"

"You couldn't have had it that bad, you must have had friends, right?" Naruto asked. Hinata shook her head

"Shino-kun and Kiba-kun were the only friends I had, we only became friends when team eight was formed, before then the only one that gave me any kind of support was…you" Hinata briefly looked up

"But I never did anything for you" Naruto once again heard himself and realised how bad he made himself feel. Without giving Hinata a chance to respond, Naruto pulled Hinata close to him and wrapped his arms all the way around her back, resting his forehead on her shoulder

"I'm sorry, I could have…should have done something" Naruto said regretfully. Hinata was surprised when Naruto suddenly hugged her but she didn't mind, her arms were on his chest and were being held there by the hug

"You couldn't have known what I was going through, it wasn't your fault" Hinata said

"I should have read the signs, I knew what it was like to be alone but I just ignored you. I'm so sorry" Hinata felt him increase pressure on the hug but it wasn't painfully tight. Hinata smiled and kissed his neck

"I forgive you Naruto-kun" Hinata smiled, but once again, felt the feeling of being watched

"Aww, aint this cute? The brat found a bratette" a pair of men jumped down from the trees, one was gesturing towards Hinata

"Correct me if I'm wrong Hiro, but didn't we tell this monster to get the hell out of our village?" One asked

"I believe you're correct Kazu" The second one stepped forwards. Hinata recognised them both instantly, they were the two guys who they ran into before they found the note on the door of Naruto's old apartment

"You two!" Hinata said angrily, she jumped back and out of Naruto's hug, he was a bit surprised at what had just happened "…you were the ones to leave that note, you threatened to harm Naruto-kun" Hinata growled

"Yeah, and you totally ruined the mood here" three pairs of eyes focused on Naruto who had missed the point that these two guys were the ones who forced him to move apartment and caused him emotional harm. An almost comical silence ensued, one could almost see the tumbleweed roll past.

"So anyways, we are going to kill you, Monster" Kazu said, returning the seriousness. Hinata's eyes widened, she thought that they were just going to beat him up, not kill him. Hinata quickly assessed the situation, she could see only one way out of the situation

"Naruto-kun, when I say…run like hell, alright?" Hinata whispered to Naruto

"What? Hell no, I aint running away" Naruto shouted. Hinata rolled her eyes at his shout, there was a reason for being quiet

"Runaway? There will be no running away…not even for your little bitch, we wouldn't want her to blab our names to the Hyuuga now would we" Hiro vanished from sight and appeared behind Hinata holding her by the arms and around the waist. She struggled but could wriggle out of his grip, she couldn't even bring her foot up behind her to kick him in the crotch, because of the way he was standing, he was not in striking position.

"HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled as he ran forwards, he heard Hiro move and grab Hinata from behind, after this he activated his chakra-sense and was ready to attack. Problem was, that he focused on Hiro and Hinata that he completely forgot about Kazu, who promptly stuck a foot out in front of Naruto as he began to run. Naruto's face bounced off the dirt, probably breaking his nose in the process.

"Awww, wittle bwind boy cant save his wittle girl fwend" Kazu mocked as he lent over Naruto's prone form

"Shut up" Naruto said so softly that only Hinata heard it. He slowly rose off the ground, forgetting the pain in his face more for serious problems. Kazu smiled and pulled his fist back, about to punch Naruto square in the face. As Naruto got to his feet, Kazu lunged forward, his fist following through aimed at Naruto's face. A moment before the fist connected, Naruto ducked underneath his fist and threw all of his weight behind his own punch that was now heading towards Kazu's stomach. Kazu was caught entirely off guard. He dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach. Struggling to get to his feet with all the wind knocked out of him, Kazu tried taking a few paces back, Naruto didn't dare give him a chance to recover, remembering back to his fight with Lee…and how the slightest moment of inaction made all the difference.

Hinata was looking on with worry. Naruto had gotten hurt bad enough in a fair fight against Lee, he was now facing off with two full grown men and he still had to worry about her. Hiro didn't seem to give Hinata much room to move, in spite of the fact that his comrade was just knocked back the blind boy. He stayed put, not giving the gentle fist user a chance.

Naruto tracked Kazu with his chakra-sense and ran after him, albeit shakily. Without eyesight to keep himself steady, he relied on his hearing and balance to keep himself upright and coordinated. Naruto ran at Kazu, the silhouette that Naruto saw in his mind's eye indicated that he was struggling to get to his feet. He was either incredibly weak or he was not ready at all for Naruto to suddenly fight him, in any case, Naruto ran directly at him

"Y-You fool! Though we may not look it, we are higher class Chuunin and are not to be taken lightly." Kazu yelled at the approaching Naruto. Hinata saw Kazu reach behind his back and pull out a kunai, her eyes widened

'They're Chuunin? This is bad, we should have ran at the first opportunity…I should never have brought Naruto-kun outside the village' Hinata's eyes teared up but she did not take her eyes of Kazu and his Kunai. Hiro didn't seem to be doing anything aside from holding her and preventing her from moving, still she struggled to find any kind of opening to attack and get loose but found none.

Kazu threw the kunai with all of his might at Naruto. He sensed something flying towards him but it was so fast and his chakra sense barely gave a clear reading on a stationary object that he had no idea what it was…until the pain in his thigh. The kunai dug deep into Naruto's mid-thigh. This caused Naruto to fall over, and due to the momentum from his running he rolled when he hit the ground, forcing the kunai in deeper. It seemed miraculous that it missed the main artery and vein in his leg. Hinata became increasingly worried.

Naruto tried to get to his feet but the slightest pressure on his right leg caused him great pain and caused him to fall over yet again, working the kunai in deeper still and further damaging the muscle. Kazu had regained his breath and was once again standing over Naruto's writhing body. Not only had the kunai damaged his leg, but the pain that it caused clouded his mind, disabling him from using his chakra-sense to any degree of usefulness. Kazu grinned sadistically his he slowly brought his foot down on Naruto's chest; slowly applying pressure on his ribs. Naruto felt his ribs on the verge of cracking

"You do not understand, do you? You're about to die. It's because you are a monster, you didn't honestly think that moving apartment would erase the problem, did you? We do not back down when we decide that something needs changed…or destroyed." Kazu said, smiling more so as he saw Naruto beginning to grit his teeth from the pain in both his chest and his leg. Hinata was squirming and struggling trying to worm her way out of Hiro's grip in anyway he could.

"Che…AHHHH!" Naruto yelled out a moment after a loud crack was heard, his rib breaking. Hinata ceased moving immediately. Her voice came out as a dark, venomous whisper

"I will never forgive you" Hiro looked at the motionless girl that he was holding

'Okay Hinata, I know you can do this' Hinata willed herself. She took a deep breath. Planted her feet on a wide base on the ground, slowly raising herself to the balls of her feet. She closed her eyes. She began to release chakra in a spherical movement around her body. With a sudden jerk her body twisted

"Kaiten!" Hinata yelled of all of her lungs as the force of movement and chakra sent Hiro flying backwards, he slid along the ground before coming to a rest. Slowly he raised himself to his hands and knees but promptly collapsed. Hinata was thrown to the ground after she completed her Kaiten. She was now lying in a small crater, the world around her was spinning wildly from dizziness

Naruto's head perked up slightly but dropped as a fresh wave of pain set in

"Shit" Hiro cursed before collapsing. Kazu's interest was spiked at the sudden fight from the girl. He momentarily ceased his torture of Naruto and made his way over to Hinata's fallen form. Because of Hiro's hold on her, she couldn't form the hand seals required to activate her Byakugan, as such, the spinning movement of Kaiten threw her off her centre and messed up her balance as she felt dizzy. Usually the Byakugan compensates for this, but without it can cause problems of this nature. She shakily got to her hands and knees before boosting herself onto her feet –albeit off balance- taking a few steps to keep upright. She turned around to see Kazu standing near her, grinning

"I never would have thought that the little Hyuuga 'princess' would be good enough to fight back, I always thought that she stood at the back and did nothing but cry" Kazu laughed. Hinata stepped forward out of her little crater "…Hiro may have been caught off-guard but I am a different level from him" Using the time, Hinata quickly did the hand seals and activated her Byakugan. Veins extruded from around her eyes, the outline of the pupil became visible and the near three-sixty degree vision was active. The world became clearer for Hinata, the perception given by the Byakugan nullified the dizziness and allowed her to see everything around her. Hiro: lying unmoving; Naruto: writhing in pain but otherwise fine; and Kazu: standing before her, with apparently no qualms about killing her or Naruto.

Hinata took a deep breath, tried to block out the ache that the Kaiten gave her Tenkutsus. The first time she tried it with Hiato, it had almost –as Neji said- ripped her body apart.

"You are weak" Kazu said arrogantly

"You are weaker" Hinata threw back, she could see the way the chakra swirled and formed in his body, from this she could tell that he was not adept at moulding chakra in any complicated way, no evidence of a bloodline, his muscles looked only above average, hinting that he favoured Taijutsu like Lee but Kazu wasn't nearly as strong as Lee, judging from the muscle size and the fact that Kazu had no scars or evidence of stress on the muscles like she saw on Lee's. He probably favoured playing a number advantage on supposedly weaker opponents. He disgusted Hinata.

"You will now pay for what you have done to Naruto-kun" Hinata said, preparing to attack.

"Why do you care for him so?" Kazu asked in amused interest

"I owe him my life, I am the only one that knows him for who he is, I'm all he's got. I love…" Hinata's explanation was interrupted when Kazu suddenly lunged for Hinata. It annoyed her greatly, being interrupted was pretty high on her list of peeves.

As she had predicted, Kazu seemed to be unskilled, not even using chakra to strengthen him muscles. Kazu ran and jumped at Hinata, bringing out a beautifully crafted custom knife

'he's a poser as well?' Hinata saw the knife, it was beautifully made, jewels lined the handle and a fabric tail was tied to the bottom of the handle, this was a blade not meant for killing, it was meant for display or for ceremonial practises.

'A weak Chuunin such as himself could not afford such a weapon. So he's an interrupter, a poser AND a thief' Hinata now held a severe hatred towards this man. Kazu threw his hand forwards in an attempt to plunge the blade deep into Hinata's gut. She merely sidestepped and hit the tenketsus on the arm that held the blade. As a result, he dropped the knife.

"You…bitch" Kazu spat angrily, he threw his enitire body to the side to try and catch Hinata off guard and gain the advantage…no such luck. Hinata tensed her calves and quadriceps like a spring and jumped into the air and over Kazu, slamming a heel into the back off his head as hard as she could as she passed over his head. Kazu slid across the ground, nearing Naruto, who had calmed down and was trying not to move

Kazu raised himself to his hands and knees

"You will now pay for that" Kazu said, he tried to get up but fell down onto his backside. He was passing his hand in front of his eyes frantically

"I-I can't see…what the hell?" Kazu said

"Join the club" He heard Naruto's voice. Naruto was slowly getting to his feet. Wincing from the pain would be an understatement; his face conveyed a look that said "Mind numbing…agony"

"Naruto-kun, you shouldn't really get up" Hinata said softly

"There's just one thing I HAVE to do" Naruto winced heavily at the raise of his voice, he knew that there was a possibility that he had broken ribs, or at least cracked. Despite the pain, he trudged towards Kazu. Ignoring the pain, released his chakra from his hands at Kazu, feeling his shape

"Hey" Naruto said. Despite his sightless state Kazu looked towards where he heard the voice. The next thing he felt was an extremely heavy impact to his nose. Naruto shook his fist after Kazu had had his nose compacted.

"Man he has a hard nose" Naruto said, simultaneously clutching his fist and ribs. Hinata looked at the fallen bodies of both Hiro and Kazu before returning her sights on her upright boyfriend

"You don't look so worse for wear" Hinata said, "…you could have helped me you know?"

"You were amazing, you didn't need help" Naruto said proudly

"Maybe, b-but they were weak" Hinata blushed from embarrassment. She looked up just in time to see Naruto approach her, his arms circled around her as he hugged her. Hinata pouted as Naruto pulled away suddenly

"W-What's wrong?" Hinata asked worried

"Nothing, just my ribs" Naruto said nervously. Hinata smiled softly and leaned forward, being careful not to touch his upper body, and kissed him, a short and sweet one but just the more meaningful.

"Let's go home" Hinata said. Naruto nodded, speechless. Hinata quickly looked over Naruto's body with her enhanced eyes to check for injury. He had bruised ribs and a few cracked ribs. It wasn't serious, just painful. The kunai in his leg was in pretty deep but it had only caused repairable muscles damage. Aside from that, he was perfectly fine. She switched off her Byakugan before her eyes wandered too low. With a slight blush, she took Naruto's arm and slung it over her shoulder to keep the wheight off his leg and led him back towards Konoha, albeit slowly and carefully in mind of his injury.

It took a while but soon they were passing through the gates once more. The guard they saw earlier glanced up and did a double take, he jogged over to them

"You alright?" The guard asked

"He's fine, but you should make a note to arrest two Konoha Chuunins by the names of Kazu and Hiro" The guard nodded and waved them through the gate

"Maybe you should get him to a hospital" The guard suggested. Hinata nodded politely.

Hinata led Naruto through the streets to the hospital. The sun had set since the incident with Kazu and Hiro. She wondered absently if the two Chuunin would be brought to justice or if they would just not come back…become missing nin. Naruto had been quiet but Hinata understood why. Judging from the facial expressions and his body language made clear that he was in pain from simply breathing and walking, talking may just be too painful. Hinata stayed quiet so not to provoke Naruto into a conversation. There was an air of apprehension over the two; they both knew that this would be the hospital visit that ultimately determined Naruto's ability to ever see again. Hinata wasn't sure if it was her or Naruto that was the cause of them going so slow. Hinata briefly looked up from Naruto to see that they were outside the hospital gates. With a deep breath, she continued onward.

"We're here Naruto-kun" Hinata whispered. Naruto nodded. Hinata walked forward ahead of Naruto to open the doors for him. Feelings of nostalgia arose in Naruto at the smell of the hospital, he remembered his initial visit at the start of the week. He quickly shook it off though. Hinata guided Naruto up to the front desk, the nurse behind it was not the one Hinata had met at the start of the week. This one looked self-centred, she sat reading a fashion magazine and was incessantly chewing some gum.

"E-Excuse me, we need to see a doctor" Hinata said. The nurse looked up from her magazine, looking annoyed

"Really? Is that why you came to a h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l?" The nurse said extremely sarcastically. Both Naruto and Hinata took an instant dislike to this nurse

"Just…get us a doctor" Hinata forced a smile onto her face

"Of course" The nurse matched the fakeness of Hinata's smile. Naruto felt the tension in the air and wisely stayed quiet. The nurse flipped through a folder on the desk "…doctor Amato is free: down that corridor, hang a right, two doors" The nurse returned to her magazine and pointed to the corridor next to the desk

"Thanks" Hinata kept the smile on her face until her back was turned. Hinata led Naruto down the corridor

"Hinata-chan? S-something wrong?" Naruto was getting used to the pain but he was noticing some changes in Hinata

"I'm just a little annoyed. Those two thugs, then that nurse…" Hinata took a breath to calm down "…I'm sorry, I'm just a little worked up" Naruto stayed quiet. Hinata followed the vague directions from the nurse and reached a door that read 'Dr. Amato' She knocked on the door and let herself and Naruto in. The room was quite small, but it was enough to house a basic bed for initial observations, and a desk at which a small man sat finishing off what were presumably patient reports. He turned around to see the two

"You don't have an appointment, what do you want?" He asked, his tone was neutral.

"He was attacked by two Chuunin. He has bruised and cracked ribs, as well as some minor cuts and bruises" Hinata explained. Amato's face softened as he rose from his seat.

"Alright, have a seat on the bed young man…you're blind?" Amato said surprised at seeing Naruto's forehead protector across his eyes

"Yep" Naruto said simply

"TWO Chuunin, attacked a blind boy?" Amato said in disbelief

"Doctor?" Hinata reminded Amato of Naruto's injuries

"huh? Oh of course, of course. No problem" Amato moved over to Naruto, a purple chakra surrounded his hand as he swept it lightly across Naruto's body, assessing the damage. "…only some minor injuries, nothing serious. You havn't removed the kunai?" Amato said, taking a closer look at the kunai, hilt deep in Naruto's thigh

"I didn't want to accidentally cut any arteries" Hinata said. Amato looked up then back at the kunai

"Alright. Okay then, um, err…what's your name?" Amato said

"Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto straightened up and patted his chest, only to cause a fresh wave of pain on his damaged ribs

"Okay, Naruto. I'm going to count to three and I'm going to pull the kunai out. Take deep breaths" Naruto nodded, and took a deep breath

"One…" Amato quickly and sharply pulled the kunai from Naruto's leg, then quickly put his hands on his thigh over the wound. His hands were now surrounded by a green Chakra that was repairing the muscle and sealing the wound.

"Do no harm doc. Do no harm, that ring any bells?" Naruto said through gritted teeth. Before too long the pain had dulled into a light tingle in his leg "…wow, that feels better, thanks" Amato smiled before getting to work on his ribs.

"It seems the cracks have developed into small fractures, has he been walking around?" He asked Hinata

"We walked from outside the village to here" Hinata informed him

"Okay, still not a problem" He focused the green Chakra on Naruto's damaged ribs. The process took no more than a couple of minutes. When Amato stepped back, Naruto moved around slightly to get a feel for his newly healed ribs.

"Feels better, thanks" Naruto smiled

"Don't mention it. Now, as to the condition with your eyes…" Amato moved forward

"Tsunade-sama is going to look at his eyes" Hinata said

"Oh right, you want me to send for her?" Amato offered

"Yeah that'd be great, these bandages are really starting to itch" Naruto said "…I'd appreciate it if you omit the part about my injuries to Tsunade-Obachan" Naruto added, remembering the scolding he had received from her after his fight with Lee.

"I'll be right back" Amato quickly left, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in Amato's office.

"Nervous?" Hinata asked

"A little"

Tsunade was at her desk writing out a few reports when Shizune barged in

"Tsunade-sama, wake up! Eh…?" Shizune stopped abruptly when she saw Tsunade doing her work

"Why does everyone assume that I only sleep in here. I swear, you doze off every once in a while and you get branded for life" Tsunade shook her head. Shizune shook her head clear of surprise

"We just received a call from the hospital, Naruto-kun is there" Shizune said calmly. Tsunade looked confused

"Oh yeah, I'm meant to be taking his bandages off aren't I?" Tsunade said. Right, I'll be right over. Tsunade grabbed her green coat from the stand and walked out her office, Shizune tailing her to make sure she doesn't try and duck out of her duties.

Tsunade shook her head as she felt Shizune following her

"You got no faith in me Shizune" She sighed

Amato led Tsunade down the corridor to his office where Naruto and Hinata were. She opened the door at the disadvantage of Naruto and Hinata. Obviously they had interrupted a personal moment between the two, if judging from the swollen lips and red faces.

"Should we come back?" Tsunade laughed at the two, they were both too embarrassed to say anything. "…alright, lets do this" Tsunade said seriously. "Hinata, wait outside. Amato, dim the lights" Tsunade ordered. Hinata opened her mouth to protest but the look she got from Tsunade set her right. She slowly walked outside the room and sat at one of the chairs outside the door. Never once taking her eyes off the closed door.

Inside the room, the lights had been dimmed. Naruto was lying down on the bed. Tsunade checked Naruto's eyes with a jutsu

"Alright Naruto, this may sting a little" Tsunade said as she removed his forehead protector and placed the fingertips of her index, middle and ring finger of each hand over Naruto's eyes. The bandages were still in place. Tsunade focused a heavy concentration of chakra through her fingertips in a very complex form and into his eyes. Naruto's face contorted in agony a sharp hiss was emitted through Naruto's clenched teeth

"Almost there Naruto" Tsunade said soothingly. Naruto couldn't hear the words clearly but could feel the tone, it calmed him slightly, but still he was writhing in pain.

Hinata became increasingly worried as she heard Naruto's movements and his sounds of pain. She forced herself to stay put

"Right, okay. I'm done" Tsunade said as she removed her hands from Naruto's face. "…how do you feel?"

"If I were to describe it…my head feels…lighter" Naruto said, shaking off the pain

"Right, now I'm going to remove your bandages" Tsunade said as she began unwrapping the long bandage that went around his head, leaving only the two individual patches that covered each eye

"Now, cover your eyes, keep your hand in front of them" Naruto did as he was told. Tsunade slipped her hand underneath his hands and removed the two patches. With an audible gulp she continued

"N-Now, look down, slowly take your hands away and carefully bring your head up" Tsunade held her breath as she watched Naruto's head dip in the almost unlit room, and slowly his head raised. She could hear hisses of pain, but more than that, she could see sparkles of light hitting in his eyes. "…Amato, get the lights, slightly brighter" Amato turned the knob of the light control. The room almost had a glow to it. Naruto's hand that had shielded his eyes dropped in his lap as he let out a breath that sounded like a laugh

Hinata couldn't hear any sound from inside the room. Her heart was beating so hard, she could hear it in her ears. Slowly, the door in front of her opened. She saw the black t-shirt, blond hair and blue eyes of Uzumaki Naruto. She rose from her seat and took a hesitant step forward

"N-N-Naruto-k-kun?" Hinata softly said. Naruto smiled and took a step forward towards Hinata, he shakily placed his hands on Hinata's face and smiled

"You have beautiful eyes Hinata-chan" Naruto said. Hinata's heart practically stopped, she dove forwards and tackled Naruto in a hug

"Naruto-kun, I'm so happy for you" Hinata had a few tears running down her cheeks as she hugged Naruto, she almost didn't hear what he said next

"How I wish I could see them one last time" Naruto said sorrowfully. Hinata stopped immediately.

* * *

**Author's Note: **It aint over yet, and if I can get back into a groove of things then the next update will be a lot sooner than this…granted: that isn't saying much, its been some four-five months since an update? Pretty easy to beat methinks. That was my attempt at a climax, I wouldn't do a cliff-hanger because the pattern of my updates wouldn't make them very effective. The end is in sight. You the reviewers have seen me to that:

**Dragon Man 180 – **I'm glad you liked the two aspects of Hinata, I thought it would be good to incorporate a "Devil/Angel" dilemma. You read my mind as for the cane (Or you also have seen "Daredevil"

**Sephynarutocloud – **long over for an update but it was for you (now don't murder me)

**Devinji2000 – **Thank you, I'm glad you liked it

**Crakbaby23 – **Sorry, I didn't read the bit about updating sooner hehe. Thanks for reviewing

**Daniel of Lorien – **Danny, good of you to review, much appreciated. I pride myself on my memory…asw ell as having every episode of Naruto so that I can watch it whenever I want.

**nArUtOhInAtA forever – **In all the fixs I read, I don't think I ever came across the revisit of Hinata's ointment. I thought it'd be good to put in. Thanks and continue reading

**Duel Rasengan –** Interesting idea…one that I used. Thank you

**Archangel Rhapsody – **Those words sound familiar…did I use them somewhere along the way? Thanks, please continue to read

**Nonengel – **Horribly cute? I try my best. Thanks for reading

**Overlord – **I am not very experienced with writing the intimate parts, but I'm glad you enjoyed it

**TimeShifter – **I thought that it'd be cute to have Hinata love dango as much as Naruto loves Ramen (They're more alike than they realise)

**Konosuke – **I'm sorry I haven't reviewed in a while. Thanks for taking the time to read it

**Kylewin – **They think it's all over…not by a long shot…that's all I'm saying. Thanks for reading

**Danny-171984 – **Because I only a had a week time frame, I was worried that Hinata would change too fast for some people's liking. I'm glad you liked the Light and Dark confrontation

**Kenshinlover2002 - **Thanks for reading. Sorry 'bout the late update

**-red fox- supreme – **hold up…you cant be serious, this beats twohalves? Okay that's your opinion. Thank you, that really means a lot

**Shadow-sensei – **well…you said that you could wait forever…but still I'm sorry for having to make you wait. Thanks for the review

**Violently-Cheerful – **Where have I been? I should have updated months ago! Sorry. Thanks for reading and reviewing

**Chuupi – **Thanks, I hope you haven't abandoned me

**ShinobiWolf – **I'm glad you don't have a problem with Hinata's development. Thanks for the review

**Fallon – **Hey man, short and sweet. Thanks

**Notasu-sama – **Thanks for reading. I was leaning towards having everyone hate Naruto because it was more uncommon but I decided that this way would be better accepted

**Plue-sama – **Worry not, there is at long last…a new chapter. Thanks, I hope you enjoyed this chapter

**Crazymonkyboi412 – **Nearly finished. You must now review

**Little Minaimo – **I hope this chapter has kept the pace. I'm glad you enjoyed it

**Sirius183 – **Curiosity killed the cat. Thanks for reading

**RawD – **Thank you for respecting me as the author and not trying to force me to change or control what I write. I hope you liked this chapter

**Dragon Girl – **Worry not little DragonGirl, Scorpio has updated for you

**Patch5129 – **You totally understood why I put in the cane. You are very smart, it was meant to subconsciously suggest to the reader that Naruto would remain sightless

**ThanatosUpbringing – **I was thinking of updating right about…now

**NaruHina113 – **I rily rily rily thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it

**Liedral – **Day seven…is not over quite yet. I hope you enjoyed it thus far

**Jin-ashi – **DarkHinata's character came from someone I know. I'm glad you liked her

**Granite69 – **Sorry, its my writing style to block together paragraphs, just increase the text size if its really annoying. You wouldn't be the only one to criticize this

**Manatheron – **Rushing me…no not at all. I decided that you have squirmed long enough. I updated…who would have thought. But you have been instrumental in pushing me along to getting these final chapters finished

**Final thought: **A lot of reviews, most of which telling me to update sooner…I guess since you took the time to write reviews for me…give me ideas along the way…I can work harder on this, increase the update speed and maybe…just maybe work on my grammatical issues.

And that's it…until next time, I will see you all on the seventh day closing. Followed by a day eight then the curtain call for this fic.

Scorpio…out!


	11. Darkness, Forever in Darkness

**Author's Note: **Okay…quick update or what? A lot of you were pleading that let it be a joke, that Naruto had better be pulling Hinata's leg. I gotta say to you all, why do you think I put in all that stuff about Naruto getting used to a sightless life, it would make no sense.

This chapter is going to try and explain what happens, there will be reference to medical practise and medical guidelines, please don't misunderstand, I have little to no working knowledge of medicine and all the rules that doctors and those of the medical profession. I do higher level human biology that helps me explain a few things but for the majority I'm piecing it together from what little I know and trying to fill in gaps with educated guesses. Don't take what I say as fact, I may be right or wrong

This chapter is just running out the seventh day, it doesn't explain what is going to happen, it explains what happened with Naruto's eye but apart from that, it's a Naruhina Chapter. It isn't over yet.

* * *

**Out of Sight, Centre of Mind**

Chapter eleven – Darkness, Forever in Darkness

"N-Naruto-kun? You…y-you cant see?" Hinata said as she leaned in closer peering directly into Naruto's lifeless eyes. Hinata was still in slight shock. She was lead to believe that Naruto had regained his sight, then his words sent her to the opposite extreme. Naruto's voice sounded so empty, so sad. She knew he had been confident that everything would work out, that he'd be able to see everything with his own eyes once more.

"I-I'm sorry" Hinata's eyes shot open, her forehead had been resting against Naruto's. They were each cradling each other's faces. Hinata was about to tell Naruto how sorry she was when it was in fact Naruto to say the apologetic.

"N-Naruto…"

"I shouldn't have convinced myself that I was ever going to see again, I knew it was a shot in the dark" His words hurt himself as his words personified the sightlessness that he was experiencing. "…I just…so wanted to see your eyes again, to see your smile, I wanted it so bad that I convinced myself that I would. If I believed enough, my wish would come true" Hinata pulled Naruto into a hug, his words brought tears to her eyes.

"oi, Naruto, get back in here, I still need to explain to you what's going to happen" Tsunade's voice sounded from the door "…I know you wanted to explain to Hinata what happened but you need to know what's happening to you, you need to come to terms with it.

"Alright" Hinata reluctantly released Naruto and he once again disappeared behind the door. Hinata was too tense to sit so she stood and waited for the door to open once again.

Tsunade sat Naruto down at the bed, Amato was too engrossed in his paperwork to pay any attention

"Okay Naruto, you do understand what has happened to you, right?" Tsunade asked

"I'm blind…what more do I need to understand?" Naruto said gloomily

"Many ninjas have life altering changes in there lives. Many of which choose to commit suicide rather than live a life of disability. I need to know if you're thinking anywhere along those lines" Tsunade was speaking that complete truth, many ninja had taken there own lives because they were too proud to accept that they were no longer "useful" She knew that Naruto was one of the proudest people she had ever come across, she had to make sure he wouldn't try anything stupid

"I'm not going to go down that road, Obachan. I've been along it before but…Hinata-chan set me right" Tsunade knew that Naruto wouldn't say anything beyond that so didn't push.

"Our options are limited Naruto, there's nothing much I can do beyond what we have already done" Naruto sat quietly, listening to what she was saying. "…The one sure fire way of getting your sight back would be to replace your eyes entirely, therein lies the problem. In order for a set of replacement eyes to function properly, the eyes need to be taken from a living donor, otherwise the nerves die and we find ourselves at the same problem we face now. Even if we take them from live donors, it is a completely and utterly unethical procedure. The removal of the eyes of a physically fit and healthy person is considered mutilation, no doctor would even consider doing it if they took their oath to "Do no harm" seriously. Lets just assume for the moment that we ignored the morality and took eyes from someone else and gave them to you…could you live with that?"

"no" came Naruto's voice "…I could never give my problem to someone else, it is mine and mine alone"

"Then you can see…understand that we cant do anything. I'm not going to give you false hope by telling you that given enough time under that bandage you wore, that your sight will return, baring some kind of divine intervention by god himself, you will never see again, understood" Tsunade was being harsh, but if she was kind about it, Naruto would get the impression that his eyes would heal and he would never move on. She was being cruel to be kind

"I…I understand" Naruto's reply came louder than his voice before. Tsunade's harsh explanation set everything in stone in Naruto's mind. Although he was still coming to terms with the fact that he lost his sight, a weight was off his mind that he wont have to worry whether or not his sight would return, if there's anything that he could do.

A stray thought surged through Tsunade's mind the moment she was about to let Naruto leave

"By the way Naruto…since you're not going to find out any other way, I feel I should tell you…you're apartment is pink" Tsunade whispered. She could see Naruto's face twitching

"What!" Naruto yelled "…my apartment is pink? PINK!" Naruto was now more annoyed at Tsunade than at being blind

"yep" Tsunade's cool response came as she struggled not to laugh at Naruto's reaction

"You…deceitful old hag. Why would you do such a thing. Come here, I'll get you" Naruto's voice lacked seriousness and the clearly comical punches that he was throwing wildly only added to the fact that Naruto didn't really care even although he was annoyed. Tsunade took this as a positive step.

"Alright then Naruto, I'm gonna let you go home. But we're going to have to find some way to work out this problem tomorrow" Tsunade said

"What do you mean? What problem?" Naruto asked confused

"Well Naruto, did you really think that Hinata would be around to help you twentyfour-seven? She has her own team to get back to, it _was_ just a temporary thing, her helping you around. You also need some way to get back to your own team." Tsunade was thinking on how Naruto could possibly be useful as a part of a Gennin team

"I'm fine with my own team" Naruto said, not knowing what Tsunade was on about

"Naruto, what use do you think you could be on missions in your currant state, do you think that you could fight coordinated with both of your team mates against enemies whereby a single mistake could lead to death of yourself and your team mates? No. To be honest with you Naruto, I would have issues with assigning you to such a mission with your team" Tsunade said seriously

"So what am I going to do?" Naruto asked

"Like I said, we have a problem" Tsunade responded "…I'll tell you what, tomorrow morning I'll have a meeting with all the Jounnin sensei and work…something out" Tsunade was already thinking about it

"Why all the sensei, why not just Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, once again feeling confused

"Well, this affects everyone, we don't just have to think about you, we have to work something out with everyone. Your team mates can't function effectively without a third person so something has to be done. Since you yourself have seemed to affect everyone around you, your situation affects your friends. Don't worry about it Naruto…that's my job" Tsunade confirmed "…anyway, I think Hinata might be getting impatient, go see her"

"That meant to be a joke, Obachan?" Naruto asked

"of course it is, I'm being a bitch to you because it's fun" Tsunade said sarcastically

"Thought so" Naruto stood up and walked forwards towards the door. With his mind now clear of distraction, he could now use the Chakra-sense to his skill level as before.

The moment Hinata heard the door knob turn she lost all sense of trying to calm herself and focused solely on who was coming out. When she saw the black t-shirt, blond hair and dull-blue eyes of Naruto she took a few steps forward and once again joined with Naruto in a hug

"a-are you alright?" Hinata shakily asked "…I heard you shout" Naruto returned the hug

"I'm fine, Tsunade just told me about her choice of colour for my apartment" Naruto said with a growl behind him

"Hey, you keep on calling me old" Tsunade's voice shouted through. None of this light-hearted attitude was getting through to Hinata, she still held onto Naruto. Naruto redirected his attention on her

"Hinata-chan, I'm fine now. I was just disappointed with what happened, I already know that I can live on without my eyes" Naruto found it odd that after what had happened it was he who was comforting her "…I'll tell you what, if you cheer up now, I'll let you wash my hair" Hinata stopped shaking and looked up into Naruto's eyes with a blush. She gulped a few times before finding her breath to speak. A smile threatened to show itself on Hinata's lips

"A-alright" Hinata's voice came over as a whisper…if that. Naruto grinned and pulled out of the hug and set himself up so that Hinata would be able to guide him. Slowly, Hinata started to recognise that Naruto didn't seem to mind that he couldn't see. With a breath, she slipped her arm around Naruto's waist, he mirrored with his arm over her shoulder

Hinata carefully guided Naruto outside

"Where would you like to go Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, she was getting more comfortable with Naruto's condition

"I think I'm just going to call it a night, you know?" Naruto said, his voice carried an air of acceptance

"A-Are you sure? It is pretty early…and, well…um…" Hinata trailed off, she couldn't bring herself to remind him of his promise to let her wash his hair. With a blush she stayed quiet. Naruto suddenly remembered

"Oh wait, you wanted to get me in the shower didn't you?" Naruto's word choice made Hinata feel even more embarrassed "…oh you should have said" Naruto grinned cheekily

"Well…er…I-I d-do…" Hinata could barely form words in her currant state of embarrassment as well as a strange sense of anticipation

"Come on then, no sense in waiting" Naruto said as he aimlessly pulled Hinata along. Hinata could only direct Naruto since she did not have it within herself to stop him.

Naruto strode with a mile-wide grin plastered on his face. Although to the observer, he appeared to be pulling Hinata along, she was in fact guiding Naruto to turn at street ends and to avoid the few on the streets at the time. Hinata guided Naruto around the last corner before they were climbing the stairs to Naruto's apartment. Hinata was almost shaking. She looked at him briefly, it was good to be able to see his eyes again. But they looked different to the ones that she remembered. They were unfocused and the iris didn't respond to the changing of light intensity

'_without any light being sensed by the nerves, light wouldn't have to be controlled into the eye. I guess it all comes with being blind. No matter, the spark is still in his eyes'_ Hinata thought as she was staring at Naruto's eyes as they climbed the stairs. Naruto could feel Hinata's eyes on him

"Something wrong Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked

"N-nothing. I'm just getting used to seeing your eyes again" Hinata admitted, her stutter was returning

"Okay, lets get inside. Pink? Can you believe that…pink!" Naruto exclaimed. Hinata's face became as white as a sheet…fortunately for her, he didn't seem to pick up that she could have told him. They arrived at Naruto's front door. Hinata quickly brought out the keys and unlocked the door and let Naruto and herself in. She was shivering slightly since she still did not have her jacket. After getting inside, Hinata carefully released Naruto from her support.

"Naruto-kun, you go sit down, I'll go and draw you a b-bath" Hinata said, a blush on her cheeks from the thought of it

"u-uh a-alright" Naruto felt similarly to Hinata about it, even although it was he who was so enthusiastic about it earlier. In an attempt to find a seat, Naruto put into practise the skill he learned the previous day. He began to release chakra from his shins and feet, he could feel everything that was at his feet, he could feel the legs of chairs as well as the groove in between the planks of wood of the floor. Naruto carefully made his way towards one of the chairs

"I should really practise with that cane the Sakura-chan gave me, now that I'm…" Naruto was talking to himself, he remembered the cane that Sakura gave him the other day, he forgot to put it on that morning, he shrugged it off, there was always another day to think about that.

He could hear the sounds of running water through the darkness. Like before, he found himself hypnotized by the simplest of sounds. Naruto sat immobile, he lost track of how long he just sat there. He was lost in the sound of the water. A second sound was heard. A rhythmic sound, a steady beat, slowly getting louder. A faint smell also was felt by his sensitive nose. It was a smell that he had become all but addicted to over the week. Naruto swivelled around in his seat

"Hinata-chan?" He smiled but did not get an answer…at least not a verbal one. The answer that he got was in the form of an unexpected but welcomed pressure on his lips. The warmth of two arms circled around his back as the kiss was deepened. Naruto was surprised but certainly did not reject it. Hinata broke the kiss far too soon for Naruto's liking. However the hug remained and a new pressure on his left shoulder: Hinata's resting head.

"Your bath's ready Naruto-kun" Hinata's soft voice said to him

"Thanks, you gonna help me?" Naruto's voice was the perfect tone that didn't break the mood but it did convey the sense of playfulness that he was aiming for. Hinata smiled and had a small blush on her cheeks.

"Of course Naruto-kun" Hinata was now almost comfortable with the idea of bathing Naruto. Fortunately for her sanity, she had put bubblebath in the water, there was at least a foot of foam between the water and any on-lookers…not that Hinata wanted to look. She kept on telling herself that the smell of the foam would make him feel relaxed, it had nothing to do with her discomfort at seeing Naruto naked…again.

Hinata slowly straightened upright, pulling Naruto gentle to his feet in the process. Though he knew he didn't need help, Naruto was perfectly happy with letting Hinata help him in this way. She led him towards the bathroom door. Hinata guided him in first.

"I'll be back when you say you're in" Hinata said, before leaving Naruto to his privacy. Hinata quickly exited the bathroom and leaned against the wall and breathed heavily. She didn't realise but she was shaking. The blush had grown, but nit by very much. She could hear Naruto undressing through the closed door

Naruto had quickly undressed, not wanting to keep Hinata waiting. He felt around until his hand found the side of the bathtub. It was bigger than his last one. He slowly placed one leg into the tub, careful of the unknown temperature of the water…since the water walking incident was Ebisu, he was always cautious of water temperature. The heat given off by the water was very pleasant and the smell of the bubblebath was already making his muscles feel relaxed. He lowered his foot, first he felt the rough yet silken soft texture of the foam, he felt how it moulded around his foot, giving it way. His foot descended some more. Through the foam, his foot suddenly contacted with the surface of the water, he felt the water surround his foot, it was the first time in a few weeks that he had felt anything like this, excluding the suiton shower courtesy of Tsunade. The temperature felt perfect to Naruto; it was hot but not scalding. He quickly got in the tub, now confident of the water's pleasant temperature. Being a shower person, Naruto knew little of the pleasure of hot water surrounding his body, providing constant pressure and warmth on his entire body. He leaned back onto the angled back of the tub, feeling completely relaxed.

"Hinata-chan" Naruto called out. A few seconds after he called out, he heard the door open and the hesitant footsteps of Hinata

When Hinata saw Naruto feeling completely relaxed in the bath, she couldn't help but smile. She took a few steps forward towards the bath

"Naruto-kun? C-Can I wash your hair?" Hinata stuttered. She saw him smile

"Sure, anything you want Hinata-chan, I'm all yours" Naruto grinned. His words didn't make Hinata feel any easier, but she had consent so she set to work. She carefully removed the showerhead off the wall, she turned the knob on the wall and it sprayed hot water out of the head. She ran her hand under the water, checking the temperature before she started rinsing Naruto's hair. She moved the shower head across his head, completely drenching his hair while using her free hand to run across his scalp. Naruto's moans of pleasure started her hands to shake once again. Confident that his hair was sufficiently wet, she reached for one of the selection of shampoos at the side. She expertly flicked one bottle open with her thumb then squeezed a generous dollop on his wet hair. Quickly putting the bottle down, she began scratching in the shampoo into his scalp until it became all lathery. She was careful to keep it out of his eyes, even although the light-sensitive nerves were damaged didn't mean that the pain sensitive nerves were. Naruto was sitting upright in the tub. Thinking the feeling of Hinata's hands going through his head was simply fantastic. Hinata was rubbing across his scalp as if she were relieving a serious itch. Naruto loved every moment of it.

Once the shampoo was completely covering his hair, she set about rinsing it clean. The jet of water swept across his head, removing the lather with the aid from Hinata's fingers. Once it was completely gone she ran a finger across his hair, satisfied with the squeak of cleanliness, she switched off the shower.

"That was fantastic Hinata-chan" Naruto had a smile seemingly carved into his face, never to be removed

"C-Can you take it f-from here Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, wondering if she should continue. Naruto thought about it, his finger on his chin

"You can stay and wash my back if you want" Naruto grinned cheekily. Hinata could not find any words so she just continued on. Grabbing a flannel from the side along with a bar of soap, she thoroughly washed Naruto's back. She was especially careful not to let her hands go beneath the water.

The feeling of the rough flannel and the slippery soap on his spine was almost too much for Naruto to bear. His eyes were closing uncontrollably; his left leg was jolting like when you scratch a dog behind the ear. Hinata giggled at this. She carefully dipped the flannel into the water to rinse off the soap. With the wet flannel, she rinsed of the soap off of his back, leaving it completely clean.

"I'll let you finish up Naruto-kun. I'll be outside. There's a robe on the door for you" Hinata said

"Right, thanks Hinata-chan" Naruto smiled appreciatively. Hinata kissed Naruto quickly before leaving the room. Naruto quickly set about washing himself.

Hinata took a seat at the table. She was amazed that she had survived that. The blush was still apparent. She waited patiently for Naruto to finish up. She glanced at the clock on the wall, she noticed that it was getting rather late. She decided that Naruto would need his bed after he came out. He probably wouldn't be feeling very hungry, Hinata decided. Hinata quickly went to Naruto's room and set things right. She made Naruto's bed quickly and she brought out a fresh set of pyjamas and set them on his bed. She went back out into the main room. As she entered the room, Naruto had emerged from the bathroom wearing the white robe that she had pointed out, she could hear the faint sound of draining water.

"Naruto-kun? Are you tired?" Hinata asked

"A bit" Hinata could see his eyes drooping slightly

"Okay, lets get you to bed" Hinata said in a caring manner. It warmed Naruto's heart at how kind Hinata was to him. Hinata approached him, slipped under his arm and guided him towards his bedroom. Once they were in, Hinata led him over to his bed

"Your nightwear is on your bed Naruto-kun" Hinata said.

"Okay, thanks. You're not leaving are you?" Naruto asked, worried that Hinata might be going already

"No, I'm just going to wait outside while you change" Hinata comforted, she smiled at how he cared for her presence, she felt…needed. Hinata gave Naruto his privacy but only stood just out of sight.

Naruto quickly disrobed and donned his pyjamas. Once he was changed, he slipped into bed and got comfortable

"Hinata-chan" Naruto called out again. Hinata came back in, she smiled at seeing him all tucked up

"Goodnight Naruto-kun". She was about to turn and leave when he stopped her

"Wait, er…um, d-do y-you think that maybe…you wouldn't…leave me alone?" Naruto tripped over his words. Hinata could see that he was chewing his lower lip. Hinata wondered about it for a second

'_I have already been away from home for a night, it wouldn't matter to father if I spent another…but this time I would be sleeping with Naruto under the covers.' _She looked to her inner-selves for guidance but she found none

"S…Sure. If you really don't want to be alone, then I'll stay" Hinata said. Her heart melted when she saw the smile on his face when he heard that. She bushed when he shifted over and made room for her in the bed. Even although it was a double bed, to her it looked very small. She reached over and switched off the light

Carefully, she pulled back the covers enough to slide in next to Naruto. Feeling her warmth, Naruto shifted closer to her. His arms circled her and hers' him. Naruto took in a deep breath, kissed her once then rested his forehead against hers. Their legs slowly entangled of their own accord. Naruto shut his eyes and let sleep carry him away. He was not uncomfortable, he was not overly excited, he was at peace with everything. Hinata refused to shut her eyes. She stared intently at his closed ones. She felt his warmth.

She felt his undying love for her. She lay there, staring at Naruto's closed eyes for hours. She listened to his steady breaths. She felt him move in his sleep but never once loosening his grip on her. The warmth that Naruto projected –even within his sleep- was enough for Hinata to relax completely. Her eyes dropped. She allowed his forehead to support hers.

Soon enough, Hinata succumbed to the depths of sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Done in a fraction of the time it took for the last chapter, that has to be worth something right?

The next chapter will be THE LAST chapter of "Out of Sight, Centre of Mind"

I want to keep on writing this fic but I know that if I do that, then it will become dry, and it will cheapen. So I'll quit while I'm ahead.

This does NOT mean I am going to hang up my keyboard and writing skills for good. The next chapter will not be the last you see of Scorpio, I assure you of that.

As you are all accustom to by now, there may be a bit of a wait before the next update, bare with me…please.

**Plue-Sama – **Yeah, that's what I wanted you to think. Mwahahaha! Yay, you found the quote. I just had to put it in. Thanks for reading

**Crakbaby23 – **Whoa whoa whoa! Don't you think that it would have been kinda predictable that Naruto would get his sight back? Come on. Give me a chance. Listen…all will be put right…eventually. But I'll thank you for not calling me a bastard again…alright? And its not all bad, the update time is shorter than before, and the next chapter…well, we'll jump off that bridge when we come to it

**Danny-171984 – **You would not believe how many people wanted it to be a joke. Thanks for the compliments, I thought that the whole Akatsuki scene has been visited and revisited too many times. My next piece of work may be more action based, you don't hate that do you? Unfortunately this chapter was a short one because I was just running out the clock of the seventh day so I can start work on the eighth.

**Violently-Cheerful – **Thanks for not complained about what I did…unless you hate me for keeping Naruto blind, in which case I'm sorry. Yeah, motivation can be a real pain, hence why I fail to keep to a regular update. Ah well. I'll have a looksie at your fic and review it

**Dragon Man 180 – **I know what you mean. That thought was running through my mind as I wrote it. It adds to the sorrow, and the fact that even in a world where such pure love can exist, something lost can alter someone's life…hmm? Maybe I could work that in somehow

**Moonlightpath – **yeah, Naruto can no longer see. Thank you, I try my best, I only write for the enjoyment of my reviewers

**Anime/Manga Lubba – **Loss of sight doesn't necessarily mean a sad ending, right?

**Manatheron – **You are the one that pushed me that extra mile to update when it had been far too long. I felt that this chapter kinda slowed down in terms of quality, but that is in the eyes of the reviewers. You are 100 right, this is just the start. You are very welcome, I love writing, but it is for you the reviewer that I write

**Shadow-Sensei – **Fortunately you didn't have to wait forever on this one. You serious? 2-3 hours…nice, I had no idea how long it takes to read one of my long chapters, I tend to scan quickly over them when I finish, usually I skip large portions so I had no idea about the timeframe…2-3 hours? Wow. I even get an honorific in my title? Even nicer.

**Aloi-chan – **Happily ever after would be kinda predictable, don't you think? Thanks for reading and not demanding that I change it because you didn't expect it.

**Chibified Kitsunes – **Good to see your review as ever Chibi-chan. Thanks for reviewing and for your suggestion.

**Hinatasbiggestfanboy – **Yeah, most people thought the same way about the ending there, but it aint over yet

**Duel-Rasengan – **Nice idea…bit Cliché on the Akatsuki thing but it's a good idea that I could use, I'll fike it away for later reference, thanks, I had a similar idea but I didn't really know how to work in the Naruhina. Thank you, the longest review you ever made? Well, good luck on your fic

**Sephynarutocloud – **Your in denial, accept that Naruto is blind. I updated sooner, yay!

**Flip-Jounnin – **wow, you didn't threaten to harm me if I didn't change it so Naruto could see. Thank you. Best fanfics you ever read? No matter how many times I hear that I just cant get used to it. Thanks for reviewing

**Eva-Freak015 – **I had Kyuubi explain why he doesn't heal Naruto's eyes in chapter 5…mind you it was a long time ago, I'm not surprised you don't remember

**Aya-sama – **awww, don't cry. Everything will turn out for the best you'll see

**Madnarutofan – **Yep, it is pretty sad, but everything works out, Naruto is happy

**Nonengel – **A great review, thanks. That was one of the purposes of that chapter, to tie up some loose ends. I tried to end this chapter in a satisfying way, what did you think? You were my first ever reviewer, I am eternally grateful that you have stuck with me through the course of this fic

**Daniel of Lorien – **You brought up a very good point, one that I had to explain why it couldn't happen. As for the Kyuubi eyes, I explained why Kyuubi doesn't do that in Chapter 5…remember?

**Little Minamino – **A joke? My friend…would I joke about something like that? I'm sorry that you didn't like it but I tried to balance it with this chapter. Naruto is happy, isn't that enough for now?

**Ah-choo – **Thanks, suspence? Not something I was aiming for but I'm glad that it had a positive effect

**Tigerwolf – **Thanks, sorry that you wanted Naruto to see again but that would just be too predictable

**Randomreader – **How can this be before Jiraiya? It has Tsunade in it. I tried to have so that Hinata would have to help Naruto. As well as I forgot about that option

**nArUtOhInAtA fOrEvEr – **Thank you very much for reading and your kind words. I'm glad you liked the ointment

**Arurisonu Akane – **Thanks for the review, you see that the blindness has brought the two closer together

**Patch5129 – **Didn't see that coming? Neither did Naruto. I was going to have Tsunade asleep but then I realised that it had only happened once in the series, I was just thrown off by the amount of fics that I have read where that happens. I thought it would make a nice change that she was awake and funny that everyone has branded her as a sleeper

**Aznchicki – **he's blind, yes. Thanks for reading

**Makokam – **Byakugan does need seals. Just watch the Hinata or Neji scenes. The sharingan? Yeah, that doesn't need seals. Yeah, the Kakashi mime was my idea, I'm glad you liked it. I'm trying to get through my work without the aid of others going over it. Kind of like, I will do this on my own since it is my first piece of work. But you aren't the first, only or the last to tell me about my grammatical issues. Updating? As a fellow writier you must understand that it cannot be rushed. My update speed depends on my motivation, If I write without motivation then the quality of the chapter is dramatically reduced, it wouldn't be fair to the readers if I write as fast as I can without putting my heart into it.

**Fallon – **Thanks, glad you liked it

**Kenshinlover2002 – **Awww, don't cry, please. Don't worry, even if he cant see, he's still happy with Hinata

**Flameraven1 – **You knew that it would be too predictable if he got his sight back, thanks for understanding

**PersonnaJXT – **Blind forever? That remains to be seen (no pun intended) Thanks for reading

**Hisoka316 – **Thanks for reading even although you don't like the outcome of Naruto's situation

**Randomguyhere – **I suppose I could have ended there…if I was Steven King. Not over yet

**Sirius183 – **Thanks for reading,

**Minimerc – **Yep, Hinata really came through for her love. The whole ordeal has brought the two closer together

**Kzinti7 – **Not the ending…not by a long shot

**Jin-ashi – **I'm glad you liked the mix. Thanks for reading

And…that's it, I'm away for a week so that'll be week off no writing. My goal will be to update before this fic becomes 1 year old, that gives me more or less a month to write a HUGE chapter…will I be able to do it? I'll see you then…for now, I leave you.


	12. Where Do We Go From Here?

**Author's Note: **This is it. The last chapter. There shall be no more. Never again will you see another update of "Out of Sight, Centre of Mind" I am holding back tears as I write because of the fact that this fic has brought me great joy, along with the reviewers who read it. Every fibre in my body wants to keep on writing this fic. But as I have said before, I do not want this fic to cheapen in any way.

Please enjoy this chapter as you have those before it.

It has been over a year since I first started scrounging ideas for this fic. I had read many fics, but there was something missing, I felt I had it in me to write one of my own. I have proved that. But what started off as little thing to break up the monotony of my days developed into something that I take great pride and pleasure in writing.

This has been my honour to write for you all. This is not going to be the last piece of work you see from me.

* * *

**Out of Sight, Centre of Mind**

Chapter Twelve – Where Do We Go From Here?

Tsunade sat in her office, staring at the rolled up piece of paper that lay in front of her on her desk. It was nine o'clock in the morning; she had just sat through a meeting with the Jounnin sensei of her favoured Gennin teams since sunrise. The paper in front of her was the product of the meeting. On the piece of paper were plans that could potentially change Konoha forever. She was in self-debate whether she should put it through or not.

'It's one thing to shake things up with a change, but this is something else…' Tsunade thought to herself With a deep breath she made the decision. She signalled for one of the Chuunin that were close by on guard. The fairly young Chuunin entered silently "Send messages, call these people to my office" Tsunade handed a list of names to the Chuunin "Aye Maim!" The Chuunin saluted before leaving hastily. Tsunade remained unmoving from her desk. Hinata awoke with a startle. Something was nudging the back of her head…something sharp. She was still in Naruto's embrace. She smiled at seeing him sleeping peacefully but was forced to tear her eyes away by the incessant poking of her head. She turned her head and was surprised to see one the village's messenger birds on the bed. She took the small piece of paper from the leg pouch; just a simple message to report to the Hokage…nothing else. Hinata replaced the note back into the leg pouch. The bird flew away the moment the message was tucked away, it didn't even beg for any food Hinata idly wondered what the Hokage would want this early in the morning. She shook her head in confusion before returning her sights to the sleeping Naruto. He had edged himself even closer to Hinata, his arms firmly around her waist, not wanting to let go…ever. Hinata didn't have the heart to wake him, instead she just lay there and watch him sleep. The memory that they had to be at the Hokage office was nagging in her mind but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She watched his closed eyes flicker, clearly he was dreaming, Hinata wondered what about. Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead. His hold around her was tightening. His breathing was becoming erratic "Hin-Hi-HINATA!" Naruto suddenly screamed scaring the hell out of Hinata. His eyes were open and moving unfocused. She could feel his hands moving on her back, he was unsure of where he was "I'm here Naruto-kun…what's wrong?" Hinata asked concerned. She cradled his face between her hands. Without a word, Naruto leaned in closer and rested his head against Hinata's shoulder. His hug unbroken 

"Just…a bad dream" Naruto said shakily as he continued to hold Hinata. Hinata considered asking what he had dreamt about but decided against it

"it's okay Naruto-kun…I'm here" Hinata comforted "…We've been called to the Hokage's office…I'm not sure for what" Hinata explained. Naruto took a deep breath

"Alright…let's get going then" Naruto reluctantly released Hinata's body. Hinata quickly slipped out of the bed and made her way around the bed to help Naruto up "…got time for breakfast?" Naruto's voice perked. Hinata smiled

"The message seemed to be urgent…I don't think we should try her patience like Kakashi-sensei" Naruto chuckled at this

"Yeah…you're right! Lemme just get changed quickly" Naruto said…remembering that he was still donned in his Pyjamas.

"Okay, I'll get you some clothes" Hinata said, making her way towards the wardrobe

"Er, Actually Hinata-chan…I was thinking that I can get them myself" Naruto said, Hinata stopped in her tracks. That was a blow to her, to her, it was as if Naruto was saying that he didn't need her, it pained Hinata to hear it. She did however misunderstand, Naruto only wanted to get it himself because of the fact that Tsunade herself said that Hinata would be leaving him soon, he was unhappy about it but he should at least attempt to get on his own feet

"O-Okay Naruto-kun, I'll…I'll wait outside" Hinata's voice had a barely noticeable tone of regret, Naruto noticed this but couldn't think of anything to say to her. He pushed his thoughts out of his mind. Naruto took a deep breath, his mind now clear, began releasing chakra from his legs, he took a minute to get a balance so he was not wasting too much chakra in the process. He got the image in his mind of what surrounded his legs, he felt the bed, the floor and his discarded clothes from last night

"It's a new day…means a fresh set today" Naruto said to himself, he began taking steps towards his wardrobe, his chakra sense wavered as he had to keep concentration on chakra control but he made it to the wardrobe. With a sigh of victory he opened it up and felt around. He removed a set of clothes…they seemed to be organised; t-shirts, trousers, and a jacket together. Naruto removed a set and changed into them, leaving his jacket open. With a breath, Naruto returned his concentration to his chakra, he turned around and headed towards where he remembered the door being. With the sense, he could feel that the door was closed. He put his hand out and opened the door. Hinata had been standing next to the door; waiting patiently.

"Ready?" Hinata tried to sound encouraging

"Sure, let's go" Naruto said softly. Hinata stopped him abruptly though

"Naruto-kun!"

"Y-yeah?" Naruto jumped in pure shock. Hinata put her hand on the side of his face

"Cheer up. I'm sorry that you cant see again, but you're dwelling on it too much" Naruto's eyes moved blankly

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting depressed since we woke up, you were fine last night…" Hinata's face showed the signs of a blush in remembering the bath "…but this morning you're different, what's wrong…what has changed?" Hinata pushed further

"I had a bad dream" Naruto said simply. Hinata was surprised by his answer

"…a bad dream?" Hinata repeated. Naruto nodded

"I could hear…everyone, all our friends, all the sensei…all my precious people…" Hinata listened intently "…and I could hear this one overpowering voice…one that I have heard only once before and I will never forget it…Itachi…" Hinata's eyes widened at hearing the name, she had a dreading feeling of where he was going with this but kept on listening

"…The friendly chatter between the voices ceased instantly…it was replaced by screaming. I could hear running, I could hear…pain. The screams began to lessen, I realised that this was because the ones who were doing the screaming were being slaughtered" Tears were leaking out of Naruto's eyes no matter how much he tried to blink them away

"…there was one voice left, one set of footsteps…it was yours. I heard a scream after that…" Naruto screwed his eyes closed as tight as he possibly could. Hinata couldn't listen to any more, she closed the gap between them and pulled him into a warming hug. She shushed him and rocked him side to side in –what Naruto felt to be- the most comforting way could be.

"It was just a dream Naruto-kun…it wasn't real" Hinata said soothingly. Naruto shook his head

"no…but that doesn't mean that it will never happen…I'm weak Hinata-chan…in no doubt of the word…I am weak, I wont be able to protect the ones that I love" Naruto said. Hinata wore a frown on her face

"Has this past week been for nothing?" Hinata snapped at him, Naruto immediately shut up "…think of all that you have accomplished in this week alone" Naruto opened his mouth to speak

"Listen to _me_…Even I've changed in this past week…you have changed me. Do you wish that you were never blinded? Think of what would be different if you never got injured…don't think of being blind as being a weakness…think of it as being an obstacle" Suddenly, it was as if a light was turned on in Naruto's mind. He had never thought of it like that…he smiled, a small one but still a smile

"Have a think about it…come on, we're already late" Hinata said, helping Naruto along

The trip to the Hokage's office was short and quiet, Naruto was happy with this.

They arrived in the main reception area, it was empty aside from a woman behind the desk

"You're late…they're all waiting for you" Hinata blushed slightly but proceeded to guide Naruto to the Hokage's office to where she remembered it. Hinata was wondering what was going on

'_what did she mean by "they're all waiting" I wonder…'_

They approached the door labelled "Hokage" Hinata knocked once. The door immediately opened. Shizune ushered them in quickly.

"About damn time!" They heard Tsunade's voice call out. Hinata guided Naruto to a could of empty seats between to Kiba and Sakura

"What's this all about?" both Hinata and Naruto asked their team mates.

"If you would just shut up, you'll find out" Tsunade's voice scolded once again

Tsunade stood up and all eyes were on her. She looked around, everyone was there: Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Gai and each respective team.

"Right…now that we're all here…" She eyed Naruto and Hinata briefly "…we can begin"

"I have decided that Konoha hasn't had much time to breathe after the last Chuunin exam. We've gone from one crisis to another. This is why I have made the following changes…for the next two years, you will all be trained up specially to your own field…" Tsunade was suddenly interrupted

"Why two years?" Naruto's voice cut above hers. Tsunade controlled herself to not snap at him

"We need to take as much time as possibly to get Konoha as strong as possible. The Chuunin exams are the most important joint village event in the five great shinobi nations. The five great nations host the event in turn: Leaf, Sand, Earth, Cloud and Mist. There are two exams every year, each year the exam is hosted in a different village. We have just hosted it, and that gives us two years before we have to host it again. If we do not host it by then, then it will be like blood in a shark infested water. The next two years shall be dedicated to the training of our most promising ninja. We will not participate in Chuunin exams to win, only to see how far other countries are progressing. The Mission standards will raise as well, D-ranks are not helpful to the progression of ninja at all, as such all D-ranks from now until the two years are up will be done by either rookie Gennin or even academy students. The experienced Gennin will take on C and B rank missions, Chuunin: B and A…Jounnin: A to S. Our ANBU forces will be reserved for covert missions and village defence" Tsunade took a deep breath "…you are the Ninja with a greatest potential out of all of our forces. You will spend the next two years in training, You will undertake little to no missions in favour of developing your full strength

"Okay…Let's start with Gai's team" Tsunade unrolled one of the scrolls on her desk

"…Lee, since there is only one person suited to train you to your needs, You will be staying with Gai, he will specialise in training you to be as strong and as wise as you can possibly be, you will stay with your team mates for the purposes of teamwork but you will be mainly training with Gai, is this clear and understood?"

"Yes Hokage-sama…crystal, and…thank you" Lee stood and bowed towards Tsunade

"Neji…" Neji stood

"Yes Hokage-sama?" Neji said, showing respect

"I have requested that Hiashi assign you to a Hyuuga specialist, he will train you to be as strong as any main house member. You shall also train with Hinata, two Hyuuga are better than one, if we could develop the Jyuuken into some kind of combination fighting style instead of a solitary base of attack then we could make you stronger…do you agree?" Tsunade's look almost dared him to find fault with her plan…Neji could find none

"Yes Hokage-sama" Neji said before sitting down

"Tenten…you have one of the tasks with most responsibility. I want you to use all of your weapon specialist skills to train others" Tsunade explained

"O-Okay…what kind of people? Gennin? C-Chuunin even?" Tenten was feeling nervous

"ANBU" Tsunade said simply. Everyone's jaw was on the floor

"A-ANBU? Hokage-sama, why?" Tenten was the most confused out of them all

"Your skills with weaponry are second to none. You have devoted your life to the study of weaponry, this give you a unique insight to weapons. Our ANBU have become lax in their weapon skills, they have above average sword skills but I believe there is something more that can be gained. My plan is to have a squad of weapon specialists at the end of the two years…with you as their leader" Tenten fell off her chair

"You want me to train ANBU…and you actually want me lead a squad of them? I cant do it"

"Tenten…the village needs your experience"

"But I'm only a Gennin…how can I become an ANBU?" Tenten didn't understand

"ANBU do not exist…not officially. They wear masks instead of forehead protectors so that if they are captured, there is no proof to which village they belong. A few of our ANBU are only Chuunin…your official rank means nothing if you have the skills required for the ANBU. This is your duty…do not fail us" Tsunade said seriously

"I…promise that I shall do my best" Tsunade nodded

"Next…Asuma's team. Shikamaru…you are to be assigned to intelligence, it will be your duty to plan our most valuable missions and to predict our enemies' movements" She explained

"Understood…no matter how troublesome it may be." Shikamaru said tiredly

"Chouji…You have shown promise in your clans jutsu, but the last pill you took during your fight with one of the sound four has had lingering effects, as such, you are to be supervised by your clan and by Shizune. They will help you train up in an attempt to render the pills of your clan useless to you. Even the first pill could kill you at present seeing as your body was subjected to the final pill. If we can find a way around the need for your soldier pills, then your clan need not needlessly die during fights similar to the one that you have fought in." Tsunade had always firmly believed that the death caused by power-enhancing drugs was unacceptable.

"Your team shall stay together in spite of the fact that Shikamaru is a Chuunin."

"Yes Tsunade-sama" Chouji was happy that something was to be done about the soldier pills

"Ino…You have a gifted mind, you clans skill has powerful control over minds…your skill is still rough, but I believe that you can be moulded into one of the most powerful Yamanakas in history" Ino blushed

"You shall be assigned to train with Ibiki, he will train you in the workings of the mind" Tsunade explained. Ino nodded

Tsunade looked briefly at the scroll on her desk. She looked up again

"Kiba, Shino…you two are training with your clan now, right? You two will join one of our Chuunin teams, you skills in tracking and fighting will prove useful. I believe that this will be of greatest benefit to you" Shino and Kiba looked to each other

"Alright" Kiba spoke for them both

"Hinata…Your father has informed me that he will train you personally, you will also train with Neji when you have time" Tsunade said. Hinata felt nervous, her father had said nothing about training her himself

"Alright…everyone out apart from team seven and Hinata." Tsunade said, everyone was still adapting to the information that they were given to question why Hinata was asked to stay. Once everyone was out, Shizune closed the door and Jiraiya suddenly appeared from his camouflage jutsu

"Sasuke…you have issues, you cannot focus your life on Itachi, he is a threat…even more so if you insist on killing him. You are a ninja of Konoha; the Village comes above you plans for revenge. You are to be assigned to Kakashi…permanently, he will take you along on his missions, you are to be his protégé you will learn all that Kakashi knows…his jutsu, his knowledge…and above all else, his responsibility to the village" Tsunade could understand his need for revenge but the village could not afford to provoke Itachi and the rest of Akatsuki into attacking them.

"Tsunade-sama...he deserves to die for what he's done, the honour and the spirits of my clan cannot rest until that is done" Sasuke said on the verge of breaking his cool

"When the time comes…you will have the chance to get revenge, the Akatsuki are too big a threat to be left alone…but we'll jump off that bridge when we come to it" Sasuke said nothing.

"Sakura, I have decided to assign you to Anko, she will train you, make you stronger, she was taught by Orochimaru, she can teach you some deadly moves that will put you on par with Naruto and Sasuke. As well as this I will take both you and Hinata and train you both in ways of medicine and healing techniques. Since I am Hokage: I am forbidden from taking you on as my own apprentices, it is one of the by-laws of Hokage, I can either take on three new Gennin and build them from the ground up into Chuunin or take on a specific apprentice which I will train to succeed me as Hokage. I will train you both into fine medics, along with your training with your official Sensei, you will be among the most powerful Kunoichi of all of Konoha. More so than me when I was in my prime" Tsunade's voice was becoming dry. Sakura and Hinata looked at each other before answering

"Yes Hokage-sama" They replied in unison

"And finally…Naruto…You are to be taken out of the village by Jiraiya, you are already known to be a target by the Akatsuki, We cannot and will not survive an all-out attack if they decide that they want you at all costs. We are going to leak information that you have left the village so that they will not attack us…please don't think that we are covering our ass by using you as a decoy, you are going to be trained to surpass your weakness…I have given your sensei-to-be some scrolls that will help you to get past the blindness. He will also make you stronger, hopefully…by the time you come back, you will be able to fight on equal terms with anyone who would challenge us"

"Alrighty Obachan" Naruto grinned "…When do I leave?" Naruto asked

"tonight" Tsunade said, sitting down…Naruto stood up in surprise. Hinata's eyes widened

"you what? Tonight? Jeez, give me some time woman!" Naruto shouted

"No Naruto, Jiraiya is leaving tonight, whether you're going with him or not…

"…I don't really care if you come or not" Jiraiya said, causing Naruto to jump

"…when the hell did you get here?" Naruto shouted

"Naruto, go home, get ready…everything's been taken care of" Tsunade said. Hinata stood up; she was saddened by the fact that Naruto had to leave so soon.

Tsunade's face softened as the moment she'd been waiting for all morning had come. Shizune realised what was about to happen and quickly ushered all the Gennin back into the office

"Naruto…there's one more thing, sort of a present" Naruto's ears perked

"Yeah?"

"Sit down" Tsunade commanded. Naruto shrugged and carefully sat back down. Tsunade got up and walked around her desk and took up the seat next to Naruto. Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata and all the other Gennin watched with intrigue.

"Naruto…what I'm about to do is a one time only, I wont do this again, it is possibly brain damaging after multiple attempts" Naruto's brow creased in confusion

Tsunade put her left hand on Naruto's head, her thumb was pushing into the back of his skull and her fingers were claw-like on his scalp. She formed a hand seal with her remaining hand. From Naruto's perspective, he saw the world in pure black, gradually something was changing, he could feel it, the darkness began forming patterns, he began to see changing in tone…the darkness was fading, replaced by colours and light…shapes. Everything came together and he saw…Hinata's face. Naruto's jaw dropped

"H-Hinata-chan?" he heard his own voice. He suddenly saw Hinata's head turn to look at something…the world started to move before he knew what was going on, he was watching himself

"What the hell is going on?" He watched in fascination as he watched himself speak. He then heard Tsunade's voice

"I've made a sensory connection between our brains. I'm transferring the visual images that I receive directly into the visual centre of your brain…you're seeing through my eyes essentially" Tsunade's voice explained, she then turned to look at Hinata. His voice caught in his through as he once again saw her face

"H-Hinata-chan…look into Obachan's eyes" Naruto asked. Hinata was still slightly confused from Tsunade's explanation but did as she was asked. Naruto felt his jaw drop as he now looked directly into Hinata's beautiful eyes

"Naruto, I can't hold this for much longer" Tsunade said

"Hinata-chan…I love you" Naruto quickly said. He saw Hinata smile and it warmed his heart. Suddenly the world turned black and his smile evaporated. Silence roamed in Naruto's dark world.

"Thank you Tsunade…for everything" Naruto said; tears were forming in his eyes. He felt a hand grab his left hand and squeeze it in a comforting way.

"Hinata…why don't you take him home, get him ready. Bring him to the east gate in three hours"

"Alright" Hinata said softly. Naruto felt a smaller hand grab his remaining hand. Tsunade released his hand and stood up. All the other Gennin moved out the way as Hinata guided Naruto out of the office.

Hinata led Naruto through the village as if for the last time. They walked through the streets in silence. But Hinata could see the traces of a smile on Naruto's lips. She unknowingly tightened her grip on her love as if refusing to let him go. This did not go beyond the notice of Naruto but he remained silent for he knew exactly how she felt.

Sasuke and Sakura, having been dismissed, were walking through the streets.

"Hard to believe aint it?" Sakura broke the strangling silence that had formed over the two since leaving the meeting.

"…" Sasuke stayed quiet

"Tsunade really shook things up didn't she?" Sakura pushed

"…" Sasuke didn't seem to be listening, though his ears were perked ever so slightly.

"You're going to be trained by Kakashi, I'm getting that crazy person from the Chuunins. Hell, even Naruto is leaving" Sakura ignored the sense of unease in her stomach. Sasuke turned his head away.

"…must be killing Hinata-chan…Naruto's going to be away from her for so long, and they only just got together"

"…"

"That son of a bitch better stay faithful to her…so-help-me I'll castrate the guy if I hear otherwise" Sakura said pounding her fist into hr palm. She sneaked a peak at Sasuke for any kind of reaction

"…" Sakura's eyebrow twitched…nothing!

"okay come on! What the hell is bugging you so much?" Sakura snapped. Sasuke stopped dead and turned to face her. Sakura felt like her tongue had swollen up and was now choking her, maybe she had over-stepped her bounds.

"I'm weak" Sasuke said simply. Sakura raised an eye-brow

"well…aren't we all?" Sakura said with care. Sasuke's glare nearly froze her eye-balls

"…I mean: do you think that you could beat Kakashi? Or Tsunade-sama?" Sakura reasoned.

"I should be able to…I'm an Uchiha!" Sasuke said with a hint of pride

"…for crying out loud Sasuke-kun…We're Gennin! We haven't even had that title for a year…not six months ago we were academy students, and you think that you should be able to take on the world" Sakura has a sharp tone in her voice. Sasuke turned and began walking again.

"Just forget it" Sasuke snapped.

"Fine! but have a think about it Sasuke…so what if you're weak, what do you think the next two years is about? And I thought you were meant to be a genius" Sakura was shouting at him now. Sasuke had never heard her shout at him like that…it got him thinking. And he couldn't deny that being shouted at by her was painful.

"You got a real attitude problem Uchiha! And you know what? I'm sick of always putting up with it. Burn in hell for all I care! Until you start caring about anyone except yourself, we are no longer friends!" Sakura took a step back to recover from her outburst. She took a long look at Sasuke's back before she turned on her heel and ran for home. Tears were leaking from her eyes, she did –however- mean every word of what she said.

Sasuke wanted to turn and shout that he was sorry...but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"perfect" Sasuke said in a low voice while rubbing his forehead. "…absolutely perfect!" He turned on his heel and walked an alternate route home. He didn't want to risk running into Sakura again.

It was sometime later when Hinata finally arrived at Naruto's apartment. They went inside. Hinata was very reluctant. In essence she was helping Naruto leave her.

'_don't be silly Hinata…he's not going forever'_Her inner selves appeared once again. Light Hinata had been the voice of comfort.

'_Aye…and it's not like you cant have some on the side while he's away. Dog-boy seems to fancy you.'_ Dark Hinata was beginning to annoy. Hinata chose to ignore her.

"Naruto…what do you think you should pack?" Hinata asked. Naruto, having been released from Hinata's overprotective grip, was heading for his bedroom.

"I doubt I should pack too much. Just the essentials. I can pick more stuff up along the way." Naruto drew comparison from his last trip with Jiraiya "…wish I could pack you up and take you with me" Naruto added playfully. Hinata smiled and fought against a blush.

"Do you have a backpack big enough?" Hinata asked "…I may not look it, but I need a lot of space"

Naruto smiled. She was getting better

"Good point…ah well. Guess that means I'll just have to wait for the two years." Naruto reasoned as if three years was nothing. He got back to the task at hand and began to ponder what he should take. He began thinking aloud

"Well…obviously I'll need a change of clothes. I'd need my sleeping cap of course. I don't go outside the village without it. That cane that Sakura gave me might come in handy. I'll need my toiletries as well. My ninja equipment…think that's all." Naruto nodded to himself. Hinata had been listening and began gathering up everything that Naruto had listed. She found a rucksack in Naruto's wardrobe. So she put all of it in there.

"Right…let's get started" Naruto said grinning. Hinata looked up as she was putting Naruto's wash bag into the pocket of his pack.

"I've almost done it Naruto-kun." There wasn't much that really needed to be packed. Hinata being organised had no troubles with it.

"oh…" Naruto chuckled. "…fair do's"

"Guess I'm all set then…" Naruto's voice held enthusiasm. Hinata looked up and spoke what had been on her mind.

"I don't want you to go…" Hinata said. Her eyes were watching her fiddling fingers. Naruto's enthusiasm dies with the smile wiping off his face.

"I'll be back…nothing could keep me away" Naruto said confidently

"But we only just got together. Now, so soon you have to leave. Cant you stay for one more day?" Hinata asked hopeful

"I'm really sorry Hinata-chan…I want to go, but I don't want to leave you. And in the end it's not up to me. You heard Tsunade: Jiraiya is leaving with or without me…I don't have a say in the matter"

Hinata was verging on tears

"Then take me with you. Convince Jiraiya-sama" Hinata was almost demanding

"You don't really want to come with us…you're just confused. Me going away is a good thing, believe me. When I get back I'll be stronger, and so will you. Everything will turn out for the better. I will come back…"

Hinata's eyes were beginning to leak

"…I promise" Naruto ended. Hinata's head jerked up. Tears stopped. That had been it. That was all she needed to hear. She got up from where she was with Naruto's backpack and walked over to Naruto. She flung her arms around him.

"I'll hold you to that…don't you dare leave me" Hinata's voice was firm.

"You know me…I don't go back on my word" Hinata's grip tightened

"Neither do I…and if you don't come back. I'll make sure they never serve another bowl of Ramen in Konoha again." Hinata threatened. With her being in the Hyuuga clan such a task was not out of her reach. She couldn't even decide herself if she was making a joke or not. Hinata motioned that they sit on the bed. Once they were: Hinata began to kiss Naruto. Hinata was tearing up again. The kiss seemed to her like it was to be their last.

A few hours later, Jiraiya was standing at the village gates. Tsunade and all the rookie were there as well.

"Forget it…I'm leaving" Jiraiya shouted, he made a dash for the gate. Tsunade effortlessly stopped him by yanking hard on his ponytail.

"What's your hurry to get out of here?" Tsunade asked

"You imagine taking him with you for two years and tell me if you'd honestly not try anything to get out of it"

With the squabble between the supposedly legendary Sannin, no one noticed the arrival of Naruto and Hinata. Hinata seemed like she would never let go of Naruto. Naruto looked ready to go. Backpack looked full. His forehead protector once again covered his eyes.

"Oi…Ero-sennin…let's get going already eh?" Naruto heard the scuffle between the two a long way off.

"Shit! He's here." Jiraiya noticed Naruto's arrival. Then eyeballed Hinata who was hanging off Naruto's waist.

"Hey, Tsu…lemme take the girl along aswell" Jiraiya grinned lecherously. Hinata's head perked up at his request. Naruto sensed it

"Hinata…that's not a good thing" Naruto didn't want Hinata to get any repeat ideas from when they were inside the apartment. Jiraiya deflated when he saw Naruto dissuade her. He simply turned around and headed out the gate.

"Come on brat. No sense in wasting time" Jiraiya's pace was slow. Naruto had time to catch up.

Hinata directed him to the centre of the gathering.

"Listen guys. I know it's short notice. But I gotta go. I'll miss you all dearly. I'll be back though. So don't bother trying to replace me…"

"Bring us back a present Naruto…or else" Sakura screamed out.

"Sure" Naruto grinned

"Don't get yourself killed or nothing idiot" He heard Sasuke's voice. It came from the opposite direction than Sakura's…he thought that to be peculiar. He knew he didn't have time to waste though. Jiraiya wasn't waiting around.

His body erupted in sudden sensation. Everyone was clearly patting him on the back or giving him hugs quickly.

"Good luck Naruto"

"See you later mate"

"Be back soon"

A lot of words passed through Naruto's ears

"See you around everyone!" Naruto turned and ran after the retreating footsteps of Jiraiya. Suddenly someone grabbed his arm. He knew it was Hinata

"See you soon?" He could tell Hinata was in tears. A thought ran through Naruto's mind.

"Hinata give me your headband" Hinata was confused but removed her headband and gave it to Naruto. Naruto did the same.

Hinata looked confused at Naruto's intent.

"On the back of my head band there's a little something I carved into the back when we became Gennin"

"…you can have that to remember me, and I'll take yours so you'll always be with me." Naruto said.

"I love you Hinata. I'll be back to remind you in a few years" He gave the girl in his arms a loving kiss before turning on his heel and running after Jiraiya.

Tears steamed from Hinata's eyes she watched Naruto disappear from sight. She turned around and walked up to the only remaining person of the group. Sakura

"You alright Hinata-chan?"

"I'm fine…he made a promise. He has no choice but to come back" Hinata smiled.

"He gave you his headband?" Sakura took note of the item in the girl's hands.

"He said there's something on the back of it that he carved" Hinata said. She proceeded to remove the fabric from the plate.

Sure enough there was carved names into the headband. The top of the headband that had the kanji for "Precious"

The first name there was

"Iruka"

second was hers. This surprised Hinata. He had carved her name into the metal before he had carved the others. They were all there: Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, Konohamaru.

But her's was before them all. Understandably except for Iruka. This was carved when he became a Gennin….he considered her to be precious before they even spoke outside the Academy.

The smile on Hinata's face was infectious. Everyone around her were showing signs of the smile. Sakura saw the smile on her friend's face and mirrored it.

"You'll be alright" Sakura said resolutely. Come on…let's grab some something to eat." Sakura suggested. Hinata looked up from the headband. She put the material back on the plate and placed it around her neck.

"Sure" Hinata smiled "…Dango?"

Sakura burst out laughing.

"anything for you Hinata-chan" Sakura slung an arm around her shy friend.

"He'll be alright as well" Sakura said "…trust me. I've known him long enough to know that there aint a force on this planet that can overcome Uzumaki Naruto"

Jiraiya was cursing every god he knew. Most of all he cursed Tsunade

"Why me?"

"So so so so so so Ero-sennin. What're ya gonna teach me?" Naruto asked excitedly. He was following Jiraiya using his Chakra-sense. Jiraiya couldn't escape from him.

"Why not try and lick your elbow Naruto?" Jiraiya suggested. Naruto eagerly and gullibly began trying to lick his own elbow. With no success. But he persisted. Jiraiya now praised the gods for making the tongue and the elbow joint almost inaccessible to each other. Naruto was quiet as he as almost forcibly bending his elbow to try to meet his tongue.

"Tsunade's gonna pay for this! I'll be back in three years and mark my words she's gonna pay!" Jiraiya cast a glance at Naruto once again

"…she just HAD to dump him on my lap"

Jiraiya shook his head and walked on. His protégé close in toe

It was going to be a long Two years.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And that's it!

Done, Finito. "Out of Sight, Centre of Mind" Finished

I humbly apologise to one and all. I have recently gone through a parent break-up (and subsequent "Get-back together")

It has caused a lot of stress. I lost the motivation to write.

I found it again today. And I finished off this.

It was not as long as I had hoped. But it has closure.

Thank you to all my reviewers. They have seen me to finish this.

Curtain call. Dim lights.

This is not story end…there will be a sequel…in time to come.

Watch out for me.

This is not the end. This is merely the beginning

I will see you all later

Till then.

Sayonara!


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